The Suite Life Transformed
by jasonstoneface
Summary: SL/G1TF  While on a camping trip in the mountains, Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya discover an ancient race of beings, unwittingly reigniting a centuries-old war.  Now, these four friends are about to embark on an adventure that's more than meets the eye.
1. Camping and An Unexpected Discovery

Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life series or the Transformers. They belong to Disney and Hasbro, respectively. This story takes place two years after The Suite Life on Deck ends. Also, the Transformers in this story will be the original Generation 1 characters with little elements from the movies and Transformers: Prime added in. I'm using a mixture of characters from all four seasons of the original Transformers cartoon, plus Nightracer, a female Decepticon that only saw limited release in the Generation 2 toyline as a convention exclusive. Now that that's settled, enjoy the show!

**THE SUITE LIFE TRANSFORMED**

**Chapter 1: Camping and An Unexpected Discovery**

Bailey Pickett and Maya Bennett were walking along a trail in the mountains in Massachusetts. Both girls were spending a portion of their summer there with their boyfriends before resuming college in the fall (or starting college, in Maya's case). As they stood on a rocky surface and looked over the forest beneath them, Bailey said, "Wow. It's beautiful out here, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," agreed Maya with a nod and a smile. "And as strange as this may sound, I've never been camping before."

"If that's the case, I'll make sure your first time is one you'll never forget," came the voice of Zack Martin. Both girls turned and smiled to see him and his twin brother Cody approaching. Zack was Maya's boyfriend while Cody was Bailey's. Zack was carrying a large cooler of drinks while Cody had cooler bags that preserved their food and kept it from spoiling. They were going to stay three, maybe four days here in the mountains before going back to Boston.

"And since the surface here seems pretty level and it's not too far from the car, this looks like as good a place as any to set up camp," said Cody as he set down the cooler bags. Zack set down the cooler as well before the four friends took off their backpacks. The girls were still looking over the forest as their boyfriends approached and put their arms around their waists from behind. Seeing the view, Cody smiled and said, "You were right, Bails, this is a beautiful view. But not as beautiful as you." Bailey giggled. After their nasty break-up in Paris, Cody and Bailey had eventually gotten back together in Bailey's hometown of Kettlecorn, Kansas, after being in denial for so long. Now, their relationship was stronger than ever. They had just completed their sophomore year at Yale together and were already excited for the future. Originally, Cody hadn't gotten accepted at Yale while Bailey had. However, not long after graduating from Seven Seas High, the couple had participated in a mathematics competition, trouncing all opponents. Yale's Dean of Admissions had been in attendance, originally planning to get his first look at Bailey. However, at the party that took place after the competition, he had approached Cody, admitting that he had made a mistake in rejecting Cody's application, and asking if he was still interested in attending Yale. After some encouragement from Bailey and his parents, he enthusiastically accepted.

"Oh, get a room, you two!" cried Zack. Even though he was happy that Cody and Bailey were happy together, he still couldn't stand their mushiness.

Maya smiled and said, "Zack, don't be a hypocrite. Even before you started dating me, you acted the exact same way towards every single girl you met. And now that we're back together, you still act like that towards me." After her two-year stint in the Peace Corps had ended, Maya had paid Zack a surprise visit in Boston a short time ago. After a heartfelt conversation, they had agreed to get back together.

Zack looked at her puzzled. "Am I really that much of a sap?"

Still smiling, Maya nodded and answered simply, "Yep. And that's a good thing."

Finally, both boys let go as Cody asked, "Alright, who's pitching the tents and who's gathering the firewood?"

"You boys get the tents set up," said Maya. "Bailey and I will get the wood."

"We'll try and bring back some pine needles, too," said Bailey. "Those burn REAL good."

Once the tents were up, Zack and Cody got some rocks and put them in a ring for their fire. When Bailey and Maya returned, the wood and pine needles were placed in the ring. Good thing, too, because the sun was setting. Once the fire got going, Cody set up a portable hibachi grill so that he could cook their dinner for tonight. It was decided that they would have hamburgers. Cody whipped up the patties, adding spices and Worcestershire sauce. By the time the hamburgers were ready, it was dark.

Once they were finished eating, the foursome roasted marshmallows and made s-mores. They spent their night laughing and telling stories about their lives and what they'd been doing since graduating from Seven Seas High two years ago. Finally, Maya smiled and said, "I've got to say, I kind of like this."

Sitting beside her, Zack smiled and put an arm around her, saying, "Good. Because it's only going to get better from here." Maya returned the smile.

After taking another bite of his s-mores, Cody said, "Hey, Maya, you said you'd never been camping before. How come?"

Maya responded, "Cody, I'm from New York. Where is there to go camping at?"

Cody hadn't thought of that. "Good point."

"What did you do for fun during the summer when you were growing up?" asked Zack.

"We mostly went swimming at the local pools," answered Maya. "It was always indoors though because of the crime rate. Aside from going to Yankee Stadium or an occasional fair or amusement park, I didn't really have a whole lot of options when it came to outdoor activities."

Bailey then let out a smile of her own before saying, "Dad used to take my sisters and I camping in the woods back home in Kettlecorn. We never went anywhere like this, but it was fun. One summer I'll never forget was when I was twelve. We had a fire going and dad was drinking some Jack Daniels out of a canteen. He nearly choked on it and ended up spitting it into the fire and it made this huge fireball. WA-WHOOSH!" As she made the sound and threw her hands up for dramatic effect, Zack, Cody, and Maya started laughing.

When she was calm enough, Maya managed to ask, "Nobody was hurt, were they?"

After regaining some of her own composure, Bailey finally answered, "Thankfully, no. It did give us all a scare, though. But once the shock wore off, we just started laughing. It was the most unbelievable thing we'd ever seen."

Zack smiled and said, "Too bad we're still too young to drink. I'd like to try that sometime."

"Of course you would," said Cody. "You're an adrenaline junkie." Cody then stretched and yawned, adding, "What's say we get some sleep? It's getting late and my eyes are getting heavy."

The rest of them stretched and agreed. Zack and Cody stayed outside for the time being while the girls went into their tents and changed into their pjs. Once the girls stepped out, Zack and Cody went in and changed also. When Zack was ready, Maya joined him inside one of the tents, while Bailey stepped into the other tent and waited on Cody to put the fire out. Once he was sure it was extinguished completely, Cody joined his girlfriend. The four of them enjoyed a good night's sleep.

The next morning, Bailey woke up to find that Cody wasn't in the tent. She smiled. It was typical of Cody to be up before anyone else. A smell then caught her attention. She got out of the tent to see Cody frying some bacon and eggs in a skillet over a newly-created fire. She smiled again and walked over to her boyfriend, putting her arms around him and leaning her chin on his shoulder. Cody smiled and turned slightly, singing, "Good morning, beautiful. How was your night? Mine was wonderful, with you by my side."

Bailey's smile widened as she said, "You're so sweet."

Cody's smile widened too as he shrugged and said, "I try."

"You succeed," responded Bailey. After getting a whiff, she asked, "How come you smell so clean?"

"Oh, I found a stream not far from here," answered Cody. "I was able to bathe in it." He then pointed and said, "It's a short walk over there if you want to bathe, too."

Bailey kissed Cody on the cheek, saying, "Thanks. Oh, and breakfast smells great, by the way."

"I want only the best for my little hay bale," said Cody.

Bailey giggled and said, "Why, thank you very much, Cody-kitten." She then gathered some clothes and towels before going to bathe in the stream.

Not long after Bailey had walked away, Zack and Maya stepped out of their tent. Zack closed his eyes and took a long whiff, saying, "Breakfast smells good, Codester."

Cody looked to the two of them and smirked, asking, "Did you expect anything less?" Pointing to where Bailey had gone, Cody said, "Oh, by the way, don't go over there. Bailey's bathing."

"Bathing?" asked Maya in surprise. "How are we supposed to take a bath out here?"

"There's a little stream just over there," said Cody. "I found it after I got up. You can use it too if you want." As he checked over the bacon and eggs, he added, "Breakfast isn't ready yet, so the two of you can just sit back and relax for now."

"Fine by me," said Zack. Maya sat near the fire while he sat on a nearby rock and leaned against a larger rock. As he stretched his legs, the larger rock began to move. "WHOA!" yelled Zack as the larger rock fell over.

Cody and Maya turned to see Zack on his back. As they got up and approached him, Maya asked, "Zack, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," answered Zack as he sat up. He rubbed his back, adding, "Back's a little sore, though."

A freshly-dressed Bailey then approached to see Cody and Maya helping Zack up. "What happened?" she asked.

"That rock gave way for some reason," answered Cody. "Zack found some kind of cave."

"Let's check it out," said Zack.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Zack," said Maya.

"Yeah, spelunking wasn't exactly on our list of planned activities," agreed Cody.

A confused Zack asked, "Spit-looking?"

"No, spelunking," corrected Bailey. "You know, cave exploration?"

"Why didn't you say so?" asked Zack. "So, who's coming with me?"

"Wait a minute, Zack, think about what you're doing here," said Maya.

"Oh, come on, guys, where's your sense of adventure?" asked Zack. "Who knows, maybe we found a gold mine?"

Bailey rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, right. The day we find a gold mine is the day London becomes generous."

"Ain't that the truth?" agreed Cody.

"Fine," said Maya. "We'll go. But let's eat first, I'm starved."

After breakfast, Cody put out the fire while Zack and Maya dressed, having decided that a bath could wait for now. The four of them took their flashlights and walked into the cave. As they went deeper, all of them were convinced that they were wasting their time. . . well, almost all of them.

"I was right," said Bailey. "This is no gold mine."

Zack was further ahead than the others as he continued to look. Seeing her boyfriend from about ten feet away, Maya said, "Alright, Zack, we've looked long enough. There's nothing here, so let's go back."

Even though he heard his girlfriend's comments, Zack still continued to search. He was just about to give up when he thought he noticed something in the distance. "Guys, I think I saw a gleam up ahead! Come on!" He then took off.

Seeing his brother running farther ahead, Cody cried out, "Hey, Zack, where are you going? Get back here!" Zack obviously didn't hear him, so Cody, Bailey, and Maya had no choice but to follow.

When they caught up with him, Zack was just standing there, eyes wide, not believing what he was seeing. Soon, Cody, Bailey, and Maya's expressions all matched his. Speechless, they stared in awe at the sight before them.

Scattered all over the ground were what appeared to be large, hulking, metallic beings. They came in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Finally, after much silence, someone finally spoke up.

"I don't believe this," said Bailey, just above a whisper. "Robots!"

**To Be Continued**


	2. It Begins

**Chapter 2: It Begins**

Their curiosity now piqued, Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya began walking around the corridor, their flashlights shining on the various robots. "This is incredible!" said Cody in amazement. "We may not have found a gold mine, but I'd definitely say we hit the jackpot!"

Maya began looking and found herself drawn to one of the smaller robots. It appeared to be mostly yellow. "Oh, you poor thing," said Maya, more to herself than anyone else. She then noticed a large red symbol on what she assumed would be its chest.

Bailey looked at the robots in awe, the nerd in her drawn to them. She had so many questions running through her mind. Like, how did they work? Where did they come from? And how long had they been here? She soon found herself drawn to a larger pink and white robot. She shined her light on the robot's face and noticed that it appeared. . . feminine? She shined her light on the rest of it, and judging by its shape and build, she thought to herself that if robots were capable of having gender, this one would indeed be female. Like Maya, she too noticed a red symbol on its chest.

Zack looked around and soon came upon a robot larger than the ones Maya and Bailey found. It was sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall. It was mostly silver with what appeared to be a large black cannon mounted on its right arm. Zack noticed a purple symbol on its chest, but didn't think much of it. He simply said, "Whoa. This guy looks like someone even I wouldn't want to mess with."

Cody looked at the robots in amazement, many of the same questions Bailey had running through his own mind. While Zack was looking at the large silver robot, Cody found himself drawn to one close by that appeared to be of equal size. This one was sitting conveniently in a chair. It was mostly red, white, and blue. He then looked at what would be the robot's face and noticed that it didn't seem to have a mouth. Instead, its mouth area was covered with some kind of silver faceplate. He then looked at its arms and noticed the red symbols on both of them. "Strange," said Cody. "Each of these robots have these symbols on them somewhere."

"Yeah, I noticed that, too," said Bailey as she and Maya approached. "Some of them have some kind of red symbol, the rest have a purple one. Any idea what they could mean?"

"I don't," said Maya. "You think the government knows about this?"

"If they do, they sure did a good job of covering it up," said Cody. The girls both nodded in agreement.

Zack, however, hadn't been paying attention. He walked over to a large computer, saying, "Hey, guys, check this out."

Cody, Bailey, and Maya approached and their jaws dropped as they shined their lights on the computer. "Whoa," whispered Cody. "That thing is huge!"

"I've never seen a computer that big before!" exclaimed Bailey.

"Let's check it out," said Zack enthusiastically. He wasn't a computer geek, but curiosity got the better of him. There was a black and purple robot lying in front of the computer and Zack used it to climb onto the computer.

As he climbed, Maya said, "Zack, I don't think you should be doing this."

Zack got onto the computer before responding. "Oh, come on, Maya, learn to live a little. Besides, this thing probably doesn't even work anyway." Even as he said this, he was walking on the computer's huge keys. However, he tripped and fell on some of the other buttons. When he did, some lights came on. Now, the four youngsters could see that they weren't just in a cave. They found that they were also in an unknown structure.

As he and the others turned off their flashlights, Cody asked, "You were saying?"

As the four friends looked around in surprise, the computer screen came on. A voice then said, "Teletran-1 activated."

As Zack got down as fast as he could, Bailey asked, "Zack, what the feathers did you just do?"

"I tripped and turned on the computer, what does it look like I did?" asked Zack in exasperation.

"Come on, we'd better hide," said Cody. The four of them hid behind a large rock.

After the foursome had hidden, Teletran-1 soon finished booting up. It said, "Scanning all inhabitants." Something that looked like a large laser pointer shot a beam of light, scanning each of the robots one at a time. Once all of the robots had been scanned, a satellite flew out of another compartment and flew out of the cave. Teletran said, "Searching for suitable alternative modes." Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya watched with jaws dropped as the satellite flew past them.

Once the satellite flew out of the cave, it scanned Zack and Cody's car. An image of the car appeared on Teletran's screen, and compared it to the robots in the room. "No match found," said Teletran. "Continue searching."

Two Air Force pilots were flying through the sky when one of them noticed a flash of light in his cockpit. "Hey, what's this weird glow?" However, it quickly disappeared.

Having seen this from the other jet, his partner asked, "What was that?"

"I don't know," the first pilot admitted. "But it's gone now."

Back in the cave, the jet was shown on Teletran's screen. Once it was compared to the robots in the room, the computer said, "Matches found. Continue searching."

Since Boston was the nearest city, the satellite began searching there. Many people witnessed strange flashes of light scanning vehicles. Two people walked out of a pawn shop holding a boom box and an old-fashioned tape deck and were surprised to see the flash of light scanning them. Even a tape inside the boom box was scanned. At the park, one woman was caught by surprise as the beam scanned her camera. At a construction site, some construction vehicles were scanned. Somewhere outside of Boston, two men were shooting guns at a firing range when one of the guns was scanned. Elsewhere, some animatronic dinosaurs were scanned. At a military base, a tank, a helicopter, a Jeep, and two other jets were scanned. At one NASA station, a space shuttle was scanned. At a train station, a locomotive was scanned. Before long, the satellite made its final scan.

Back in the cave, Teletran-1 said, "Search complete. Beginning modifications and repairs." The same beam of light that had scanned the robots earlier then fired onto the nearest robot. That happened to be the black and purple robot Zack had used to climb onto Teletran. Some mechanical claws came out of the walls and ceiling, pulling the robot away so Teletran would have room to do its work. As it was repaired, the robot was changed into a jet. From behind the rock, Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya watched in awe. When it was finished, Teletran said, "Modifications and repairs complete." The jet then transformed back to robot mode, the four humans watching in amazement.

As the robot stood on its own two feet, it rubbed its forehead and asked, "What happened?" The robot then looked around the room at the other robots inside. Soon, he looked up and said, "I remember now." He then turned to the silver robot that Zack had had eyes on earlier. He grabbed the silver robot by the feet and dragged it in front of the beam of light. It was repaired the same way the first robot had been, being transformed into a gigantic handgun. The gun then transformed back to robot mode and stood up as the black and purple robot said, "Megatron, my leader, we are alive again."

The one referred to as Megatron turned to the other robot and asked, "Skywarp, what has happened?"

Skywarp seemed to gulp before answering nervously. "I. . . I'm not certain. All I remember is the crash. And now we're here. . . wherever here is."

Megatron nodded, seemingly accepting Skywarp's answer. He looked around before saying, "Quickly, we must revive the other Decepticons."

As the two robots got to work, Maya asked in a confused whisper, "Decepticons?" The others seemed to be just as confused as she was.

Soon, all of the so-called "Decepticons" were activated. When Megatron was satisfied that all were present and accounted for, he spoke. "Decepticons, much time has passed. We are on a planet far from Cybertron. But our mission has not changed."

A blue robot stepped forward and spoke up. "But, Megatron, with all due respect, how do we know Cybertron still exists?"

"It must exist, Thundercracker," insisted Megatron. "And if this land is filled with resources, we shall return home with the power to transform Cybertron into the ultimate weapon. And conquer the Universe."

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya listened as their jaws dropped in horror. They could also see that this robot known as Megatron was not just one to talk. They could tell just by the way he spoke, the way he walked, the way he stood, that his very presence commanded respect from his troops. And fear. But there was one Decepticon brave enough (or foolish enough?) to stand up to him. . .

From behind the rock, Bailey finally whispered, "Let's get out of here." The four of them then turned and tried to sneak out of the cave, but Cody tripped over another rock, knocking all of them down.

Unfortunately, the Decepticons heard them. "What was that?" asked Megatron.

A dark blue robot with a white faceplate walked to Megatron's side, saying in a monotone voice, "We are not alone."

"Soundwave, release Ravage!" ordered Megatron to the dark blue robot.

"Ravage, eject!" said Soundwave as he pressed a button on his shoulder. His chest opened up and a tape flew out, taking on the form of a panther. Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya never had a chance to escape as Ravage quickly blocked their path. He growled at them as the four friends held each other in fright.

As the Decepticons approached and took a look at the four humans in the cave, a grey and purple robot spoke up. "Well, what do we have here? If this is what the natives of this planet are like, we should have no problem plundering it."

"Silence, Astrotrain," said Megatron in a calm voice. Though Megatron had spoken calmly, Astrotrain knew better than to disobey him. As Megatron got to one knee, he frowned as he looked at the four . . . unusual creatures. Finally, he spoke up again. "So, you must be the ones who reactivated us." He chuckled and said, "I must thank you, for without you we may have been trapped here forever." He then let out a light, but dark laugh. "As a reward, we will take you with us. Perhaps you may be of some use to me. . . if only to find a better way to destroy you." He then stood up and let out a sinister laugh.

The foursome stood there in fright. Finally, Cody gulped and stepped in front of the others, saying, "Leave them alone! Take me instead. You can do whatever you want with me, but let the others go!"

"Cody, are you crazy?" asked Zack in disbelief. Since when did Cody develop a backbone, he wondered. The Decepticons, however, just laughed.

When he had composed himself, Megatron said, "I'm afraid I cannot do that. But I admire your spirit. In a way, you remind me of Optimus Prime. Soundwave, see if you can extract anything from this. . . primitive creature."

"As you command, Megatron," said Soundwave. "Rumble, Frenzy, eject. Operation: Interrogation." He pressed the button on his shoulder and two tapes flew out, transforming into a blue robot and a red and black one.

As they approached the teens, the blue robot spoke up. "Alright, turkey, Rumble's the name and you're coming with us."

The red and black one, Frenzy, then said, "And what Megatron wants, Megatron gets!"

As Rumble and Frenzy grabbed Cody by the arms and dragged him towards the Decepticons, Bailey cried out, "CODY!" She tried to run and help her boyfriend, but Zack and Maya held her back.

When they were close to Soundwave, Cody was forced to his knees as Rumble and Frenzy held his arms. Soundwave then got to one knee and placed his index fingers on Cody's temples. Cody winced and gritted his teeth in pain as he felt electronic pulses coursing through his brain. Finally, it became so painful that Cody let out a shrill scream as he passed out and collapsed.

Rumble and Frenzy stood to the side as Zack, Maya, and Bailey ran to Cody's side. Soundwave just watched as he stood up. Bailey held Cody's head as Maya checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she found one. Tears in her eyes, Bailey looked up at the Decepticons and asked, "What did you do to him?"

Zack then stood up and frowned, saying, "If you've hurt my little brother, I swear I'll. . ."

"SILENCE!" yelled Megatron as he leaned down towards the four humans, scaring them. He then straightened up, turned to Soundwave and asked, "Were you able to retrieve anything?"

"Yes," said Soundwave with a nod. "His name is Cody Martin."

"'Cody Martin?'" asked Frenzy. "What kind of geeky name is that?" However, he was silenced by a glare from Megatron.

Soundwave continued, "He is highly intelligent, at least by this planet's standards. This world is known as Earth. The natives are referred to as humans. And as you can see, there appears to be some sort of. . . feeling between him and the female holding him."

Megatron nodded. "Come, Decepticons. We have an empire to rebuild!"

One robot who was mostly red, white, and blue said, "But before we go, let us destroy these accursed Autobots." He then pointed a gun mounted on his arm at the head of the red, white, and blue robot that Cody had examined earlier.

However, Megatron grabbed his arm and said, "No. Save your energy, Starscream."

Starscream said, "But, Megatron, we may never have a chance like this again!"

As Megatron let go of Starscream's arm, he said, "Leave them be. For the sake of honor, we shall let this be the Autobots' final resting place."

Starscream got in Megatron's face and yelled, "Honor is for the weak, Megatron! If I was in charge. . ."

Starscream never got to finish as Megatron knocked him down by hitting him with the barrel of his arm-mounted cannon. Megatron looked down on Starscream and said, "But you're not. And you never will be. However, if you insist on destroying something, destroy that." He pointed to the device that had generated the repair beam. Starscream just stood up and turned away, clinching his fists at his sides.

Another Decepticon spoke up in a feminine voice. "This is pathetic. If you won't destroy that repair beam, Starscream, I will." A gun then appeared in her hand from subspace. She fired, destroying the repair beam.

Teletran-1 then said, "Error. Error." The female Decepticon fired again, shattering the monitor.

"Thank you, Nightracer," said Megatron with a nod. "At least there is one Decepticon I can depend on. Now, let us go. Skywarp, you see to it that our four human. . . companions are comfortable." He then let out another light laugh.

Skywarp let an evil grin cross his face as he said, "With pleasure." He then picked up the four teens as the Decepticons made their way out of the cave. When they exited, they immediately took to the sky, many of them transforming into jets. Astrotrain transformed into a space shuttle. Those that couldn't transform into jets remained in their robot modes. Skywarp managed to place Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya into his cockpit even as he transformed and took off.

However, not long after the Decepticons left, the satellite flew back into the cave. It hovered over the destroyed repair beam as some wires came out of it. The wires connected themselves to the wires in the repair beam. A beam then came out of the satellite and scanned the nearest subject—the red, white, and blue robot that Cody had had eyes on earlier. The mechanical claws came out of the walls and ceiling again and pulled the robot out of its chair and onto the floor. The robot was transformed into the rig of a semi-truck. An attachment appeared out of subspace and was changed into a trailer. The trailer was then hooked up to the rig. There sat a red semi-truck, complete with a black trailer. At the front of the trailer was a larger, silver version of the red symbol. Across the trailer were red stripes with smaller silver stripes inside. There was also a blue stripe too. The silver symbol was at the back of the trailer on both sides. Inside the red stripe, in big, bold, silver letters was a name. The blue stripe also spelled out a name. The name was spread across the sides of the trailer for all to see: Optimus Prime.

Optimus Prime transformed to robot mode, his trailer disappearing. He looked around and noticed that something was amiss. "Oh no," he said to himself. His faceplate moved up and down as he spoke. He looked around and spotted the smaller pink and white female that Bailey had seen earlier. He grabbed her underneath the arms and pulled her in front of the repair beam. The pink robot was put through the repair process, changing into a sports car. When repairs were complete, she transformed back to robot mode and groaned, still on one knee. As Optimus helped her to her feet, he said, "Arcee, talk to me."

The one called Arcee shook the cobwebs out of her head before looking up at Optimus Prime. She finally managed to utter, "P. . . Prime? We're alive?"

"Yes," answered Prime. "Unfortunately, it appears the Decepticons are as well. Come, help me revive the others." Arcee nodded as she and Optimus dragged their companions in front of the makeshift repair beam.

Inside of Skywarp, Cody moaned as he came to. When his vision cleared, he saw the concerned looks on the faces of Zack, Bailey, and Maya. "Cody, are you okay?" asked Bailey.

"Yeah," answered Cody weakly as he shook the cobwebs out of his head. His eyes widened as he realized something. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"

"I wish it was, Codester," said Zack as he shook his head. "I REALLY wish it was."

"We're actually inside one of the robots," said Maya. "The one called Skywarp."

Soon, the Decepticons landed. Skywarp let out a ladder that allowed the four hostages to exit before transforming. Once they were all in their robot modes, Megatron said, "We'll set up here. This desert will serve as our temporary base of operations. Soundwave, dispatch Laserbeak and Buzzsaw to begin searching for energy sources. Scrapper, you and the Constructicons begin plans for a new starship."

"Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, prepare for flight," said Soundwave. "Operation: Energon." Two more tapes flew out of his chest, taking on the forms of mechanical birds. They squawked and flew in different directions.

"Starscream, take Thundercracker and Skywarp to search for materials for the starship," continued Megatron. "Thrust, take Dirge and Ramjet with you and do the same."

"What about the flesh creatures?" asked Rumble.

"They will remain here with us for the time being," answered Megatron. "Trap them inside a force field so that they cannot escape."

Not long after leaving the desert, Thrust and his team arrived in Boston. They landed near where an office building was being constructed. Close by was a supermarket where Carey Martin had just walked out with some groceries. People were running and screaming when they saw the three robots. Some cops were even firing their guns at them, for all the good it did. As the bullets from the police officers' guns bounced harmlessly off of them, Thrust said, "Resistance is futile, humans." He then fired, destroying a police car as the officers scrambled.

"Soon, your world will fall to the Decepticons," added Dirge.

"And there's nothing you can do to stop us," finished Ramjet. The three of them then began gathering what things they felt would be useful to the Constructicons.

Carey dropped her groceries and stared wide-eyed at the three robots. "Oh my word," said Carey barely above a whisper. It wasn't long before she started screaming and running back to the Tipton Hotel. When she got back to the Tipton, realization dawned on her. "The kids. I hope they're okay." She then pulled out her cell phone and attempted to call her sons. When she couldn't reach Cody or Zack, she tried Bailey and Maya's numbers, but still didn't get an answer.

London Tipton approached and said, "Hey, Carey, I thought you were going to the grocery store? Did you forget your food, or are you really that poor that you couldn't afford it?"

"London, you wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Carey.

London's jaw then dropped as she saw giant mechanical feet walk by. "You mean I wouldn't believe you if you told me there were giant robots outside?"

Carey tilted her head at London in surprise. "How did you know that?"

Pointing behind Carey, London yelled, "BECAUSE THEY'RE RIGHT THERE!" Carey turned back to see what London was pointing at. They held each other as they screamed. Other Tipton employees soon gathered and watched with horror as the robots walked by.

Holding materials in his arms, Dirge said, "This is all we can handle for now."

"Then we go," said Thrust. "I'm sure Megatron will be pleased." They then took to the sky, transforming as they placed the materials they had gathered inside themselves. The many spectators in Boston watched as they took off.

At the military base that the satellite had been at earlier, a general approached two solders. "Lennox, Epps?" the general asked. Lennox and Epps saluted, the general saying, "At ease." He then proceeded to speak. "I've been told about what you and some of the other soldiers saw earlier. Now, you mean to tell me that this satellite scanned one of our tanks, one of our helicopters, one of our Jeeps, and two of our jets and you have no idea where it came from?"

"That's correct, sir," said Lennox.

"It was there one minute and gone the next," said Epps.

Another soldier approached and said, "General Cullen, sir."

"Yes, what is it, Welker?" asked General Cullen.

"Our radar just picked up three unidentified aircraft approaching fast," answered Welker.

"Try and communicate with them," said Cullen.

"We already did, sir," said Welker. "They're not responding."

"Have everyone on alert," said General Cullen. "Be ready to respond with force if necessary, but do not engage unless fired on first."

"Yes, sir," said Welker as he saluted.

The soldiers at the base were on alert as the three jets approached. Their jaws dropped when they saw them transform and land. Starscream smiled and said, "This looks like as good a place as any to start."

To say that the soldiers were surprised would be an understatement. Finally, one of them said through a bullhorn, "Halt! Identify yourselves."

"If you must know, I am Starscream of Cybertron," said the Decepticon Air Commander. "And you are nothing!" He then fired the laser gun on his arm, destroying a tank.

The soldiers tried to fight back. But try as they might, nothing seemed to work against the three invaders. Tanks didn't work, missiles didn't work, nothing seemed to work. They couldn't put up any air resistance because the three Decepticons destroyed their jets before they could get to them. A few tanks surrounded Skywarp, but he just smiled. "Aim!" cried one soldier.

"Oh, I'm so scared," said Skywarp sarcastically.

"Fire!" ordered the soldier. Just as the tanks fired, he disappeared, teleporting just outside the ring of tanks. The soldiers in the tanks never knew what hit them.

Skywarp just laughed and said, "Stupid flesh creatures."

"This won't even be a battle," said Thundercracker. "Merely extracurricular activity." And he was right. He fired some missiles, destroying more of the base. He also fired his lasers. Starscream and Skywarp continued to do the same.

Before long, the base was a smoking pile of rubble. Many soldiers had lost their lives. As he and his comrades grabbed as many materials as they could, Starscream said, "Decepticons, follow me!" They then took to the sky, transforming as they loaded the materials into themselves.

When the invaders were gone, some of the rubble began to move. Lennox and Epps were among the few soldiers who had managed to survive the onslaught. "We are in serious trouble," said Lennox.

"What was your first clue?" asked Epps somewhat sarcastically. They then began searching for General Cullen, only to find him among the dead. "Terriffic," said Epps as he and Lennox saw the general's lifeless body.

"Lennox, Epps!" cried out another voice. Lennox and Epps turned to see another soldier approaching with a tape. "The surveillance room was destroyed, but this tape's still intact. I've already checked it. It picked up everything." He then handed it to Lennox.

As he took the tape, Lennox said, "We need to get this to the Pentagon. They've got to know what we're dealing with here."

Back in the mountains, the Autobots were gathered. Two of them were working to repair Teletran-1 as Optimus Prime approached them. He asked, "Ratchet, Wheeljack, is Teletran-1 back online?"

"It should be ready any moment," answered Ratchet. "Once we're done, we'll fix the repair beam as well."

Wheeljack then spoke up, the sides of his head flashing as he did so. "It's a good thing I jury-rigged the satellite to function as an auxiliary repair beam in just such an emergency."

"Indeed," agreed Optimus. "Once Teletran is functioning again, send the satellite to search for energy sources. And try and learn as much as you can about this planet while you're at it."

"Yes, sir," said Ratchet and Wheeljack in unison.

"What about the Decepticons?" asked a mostly-red robot.

"Send Rewind and Eject to search for them, Blaster," answered Prime. "They're among the few of us who can fly, so they'll be best-suited for the job." He then turned to a larger robot that was mostly white and said, "Jetfire, I want you to go as well."

Jetfire saluted and said, "Roger. I'll do my best, sir."

Prime then turned to five bestial-looking robots. "Grimlock, I want you and your team to go, too. Find the Decepticons, but do not engage. Is that understood?"

Grimlock growled and said, "Me Grimlock say, why not engage? Me crush Decepticons with me bare hands! Unlike puny Optimus Prime!"

"Me Snarl agree!" spoke up one of Grimlock's companions. "We strongest Autobots of all!"

"That's beside the point, Snarl," said Optimus. "The five of you may be our strongest members, but even you are no match for the entire Decepticon fleet. If the five of you were to try and fight them alone, they would overwhelm you, and you know that. Just find them. We'll deal with them later."

As Jetfire and Grimlock's team walked out of the cave, Blaster pressed a button on his chest and said, "Rewind, Eject, you heard the man, scope out the land!" Two tapes came out, taking on the forms of a black robot and a blue one. They followed the others out of the cave. When they exited, Jetfire transformed into a large jet and took off, while the rest of them flew away in their robot modes.

When the search party was gone, Ratchet and Wheeljack were watching Teletran-1 as it searched for energy sources. As the information scrolled across the screen, Prime said, "While they're doing that, Blaster, I want you to try and get in touch with our comrades on Cybertron."

"On the case, ace," said Blaster as he transformed into a boom box and sat in a chair. Two plugs came out of the chair and connected to Blaster. Red lights began flashing on him as he transmitted, attempting to contact Cybertron.

As Ratchet and Wheeljack continued watching Teletran, Prime noticed what they were seeing as well. "It's worse than I feared. This planet is rich with sources of energy."

"If they can convert that energy into Energon cubes, they'll be unstoppable," said Ratchet.

"And from what we've been able to ascertain so far, the natives of this planet would be powerless to stop them," added Wheeljack.

Rewind (the black robot) and Eject (the blue one) were flying through the sky when they noticed something down below. "I think that's them," said Eject.

"Only one way to find out," said Rewind. "Let's get closer, but stay out of sight." The two small Autobots landed on a cliff and observed what was going on. "It's them alright," said Rewind in a whisper.

"And look," said Eject. "They're not alone." They had noticed the four young humans trapped in a force field, Rumble and Frenzy standing guard. "Could those be natives?"

"I don't know," said Rewind. "Now be quiet. Let's find out what they're up to."

Megatron approached the Constructicons. "How is the new starship coming along?"

"It's frustrating," answered Hook as he and the other Constructicons examined the materials they had received thus far. "The technology of this planet is primitive."

Looking over the plans drawn in the sand, Scrapper said, "But the news is not all bad, Lord Megatron. While we do not have access to Cybertronian technology here, Earth does have the materials we need to build everything from scratch. It will take some time, but it can be done."

"Then do it," said Megatron. "Take all the time you need. But try and finish up as quickly as possible. The sooner we can get off this mudball, the better."

Meanwhile, Starscream walked over to the force field where the hostages were held. With Rumble and Frenzy standing guard, he said, "Someday, I'll be giving the orders, Rumble. You'll do what I say."

"Look, Starscream," said Rumble, "Megatron is strong. He's merciless. He can't be beaten. And you'll never be our leader."

"I will find a way," said Starscream. "Everyone has a weakness."

"Yeah?" asked Frenzy skeptically. "Well, not Megatron."

"We shall see," said Starscream.

"Oh, will we?" asked a voice from behind. Starscream turned to see Megatron approaching. "Still plotting to usurp my power, I see."

"Don't push me, Megatron," said Starscream. "My desire for power is just as great as yours!"

"Power flows to the one who knows how to use it," responded Megatron. "Desire alone is not enough."

Pointing to Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya, Starscream then asked, "Then why do you insist on keeping these worthless fleshlings around?"

"'Fleshlings?'" asked Bailey. "And I thought London's insults were bad."

However, Megatron and Starscream ignored her and her friends. "Insurance, Starscream," said Megatron. "That's all they are. Insurance."

"But you're keeping them alive!" yelled Starscream.

"And they will remain alive until I say we don't need them anymore!" responded Megatron adamantly.

The argument was finally broken up as Soundwave approached, Laserbeak perched on his left shoulder. "Megatron, Laserbeak has returned. He has found a source of energy."

Megatron turned to his second-in-command and smiled. "Excellent. Where?"

"An oil rig," answered Soundwave. "Off the coast, due east, in what is known as the Atlantic Ocean."

"Good work, Laserbeak," said Megatron. "Decepticons, it is time to make our first strike. Constructicons, you are to stay behind and work on the starship. The rest of you follow me. Thundercracker, take the hostages with you. I shall lead the strike personally." His red optics flashed as he said the last sentence.

Thundercracker walked over to the force field and transformed as the force field disappeared. "Alright, get in," said Thundercracker in a bullying voice. "Move it!"

Once the four humans got into the cockpit, the Decepticons took off. Maya frowned at Zack and said, "Some adventure this is turning out to be, huh, Zack? Learn to live a little? Ha! Now you may have killed us all. You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" Zack just looked at his girlfriend, feeling guilty for once in his life.

Back at the cave, Blaster disconnected from Teletran-1 and transformed back to robot mode. "Any luck, Blaster?" asked Optimus.

"Negative," answered Blaster as he shook his head. "Too much static interference."

Suddenly, some lights began flashing on his chest. "Autobot HQ, come in, do you read me?" It was the voice of Rewind.

"This is Blaster blasting at ya, Rewind," answered Blaster. "Give us the scoop on the Decepticons' coup."

"They're headed for an oil rig in the Atlantic Ocean due east of our location," said Eject. "And they have hostages."

"That could present a problem," said Optimus. "Rewind, Eject, stay with them, but do not engage. Blaster will track your coordinates and we'll rendezvous with you as soon as we can." Turning to Ratchet and Wheeljack, he asked, "Ratchet, Wheeljack, how far are we from the Atlantic?"

"Not far," answered Ratchet. "But we'll need Jetfire to give us a lift to the oil rig once we get there."

"Right," agreed Prime. "Blaster, recall Jetfire as well as Grimlock's unit. Have them meet us at the cusp of the ocean." He then turned to a stylish white and black robot and said, "Jazz, organize a battle unit. We're going after them."

Outside, all of the Autobots were gathered. Jazz took roll-call, each of them transforming into various types of cars as their names were called. "Prowl. Trailbreaker. Arcee, Hot Rod, Springer. Wheeljack. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker. Ratchet. Ironhide, Mirage, Bumblebee. Hound. Inferno. Brawn, Cliffjumper, Windcharger." Once all the assembled Autobots had transformed, Jazz said, "Autobots, start your engines!" He then turned to his leader and said, "Ready, Prime."

Blaster then joined them, saying, "And the others are on their way."

"Autobots," commanded Optimus Prime, "roll out!" He then transformed to semi-truck mode, followed by Jazz taking on his own vehicle mode. Blaster transformed to radio mode and rode with Hound. Prime revved up and led the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

At an oil rig in the Atlantic Ocean, the workers were going about their business when they heard something up above. They looked up to see some unexpected guests arriving. One man cried out, "Look!"

In the sky, the Decepticons spotted their destination. Megatron ordered, "Decepticons, transform and dive! Dive!" They transformed to their robot modes and landed with a thud, except Thundercracker, who remained in his jet mode when he landed. Many of them stood there in shock and fear. Megatron then spoke up. "Citizens of Earth, I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons! And if you value your lives, you will do exactly as I say!"

"And even if you don't," said Starscream, "we'll still take your oil—whether you like it or not!"

"Get them!" yelled another man as he and some of his coworkers began throwing things at the Decepticons. However, it did them no good.

"These humans are pathetic," said a purple and white robot. He then picked up a metallic cylinder and threw it at the workers, causing them to scatter.

With the resistance halted, Megatron said, "I expected some of you to be foolish enough to try and resist me. If you will not give us your oil for the sake of your own lives, perhaps you will give it to us for the sake of theirs." He then turned to the purple and white robot and said, "Blitzwing?"

Blitzwing nodded and walked over to Thundercracker as he opened his cockpit. Blitzwing then fired his gun into the cockpit, pulling out their four hostages with a tractor beam. Once they were set on the ground, they were placed in another force field as Thundercracker finally transformed to robot mode. "Get out of here!" cried Bailey to the workers.

"Don't worry about us!" added Cody. "Just save yourselves!"

The workers began talking amongst themselves. One man asked, "What do we do? We can't give these creeps our oil."

"I know," said another man. "But we can't let them hurt those kids either." He then turned to Megatron and said, "Okay, you can have the oil. Just don't hurt them."

"I knew you'd see it my way," said Megatron. He then laughed before turning to Soundwave. "Soundwave, prepare the Energon cubes." The workers and the trapped youngsters could only watch.

Soundwave stepped forward and transparent cubes came out of his chest. The other Decepticons caught them and walked over to where the oil was flushed out of the ground. Within minutes, several Energon cubes were filled with oil. When all of the cubes were filled, Megatron said, "Starscream, activate your null ray." Starscream fired at the cubes, converting the oil into energy.

Watching the whole thing, Cody said, "So that's what they're after."

Even as the Decepticons worked, however, there was one worker who had managed to get to the communications deck. He whispered into a microphone, "Coast Guard, this is an S. O. S., repeat, this is an S. O. S. We are under attack by forces unknown. Please, send help fast." He then walked over to the surveillance monitors, being careful to stay out of sight.

Megatron walked over to the Energon cubes and picked one up. He looked at it in evil delight, almost as if he were in a trance. "Perfect," he said in a low voice, a sinister smile on his face. "Absolute perfection."

"But how do we know the energy is stable?" asked Starscream. "How do we know it's safe for us to use?"

Megatron turned to Starscream and frowned. "Since you're so eager to find out, Starscream,. . ." He then threw the cube to Starscream, surprising him as he caught it. "You test it!"

Starscream looked at Megatron in horror. "What? Me? But,. . . but. . ."

"I said TEST IT! NOW!" yelled Megatron as he pointed his arm-mounted cannon at Starscream. "Or we'll find out which does more damage: An exploding cube? Or my fusion cannon?"

Starscream let out an audible gulp as Megatron's optics narrowed and flashed. He reluctantly proceeded to test the Energon cube. He slowly drank some energy out of the cube. He smiled and said, "It's safe!"

Megatron then picked up another cube and said, "Decepticons, proceed to energize. But take only enough to fortify yourselves. We must save the rest for our trip back to Cybertron." The Decepticons cheered and began energizing themselves. Once they were energized, they began creating more Energon cubes.

As the Decepticons worked, Zack said, "Excuse me, um, Megatron, sir?" Megatron looked over his shoulder. Zack continued, "Look, I'm probably going to be sorry that I asked, but I'll ask anyway. Once you've got your energy here, will you please leave?"

"I cannot do that, human," answered Megatron. "This is but a small fraction of the energy we need. We will suck you precious planet Earth dry!" He then began laughing.

As the others frowned at him, Zack said, "I'm sorry I asked."

Maya frowned and slapped him before saying, "A fat lot of good that's going to do us now."

Laserbeak was flying around patrolling when his long-distance sensors picked up something. He transmitted to Soundwave. He said, "Megatron, Laserbeak reports unidentified aircraft approaching."

"More human resistance?" asked Starscream with a cruel smirk. "Big deal."

"Only one way to find out," said three nearly-identical robots in unison. The three then transformed and combined to form a camera, landing in Thundercracker's hand.

The camera in hand, Thundercracker said, "Okay, Reflector, let's see what you can see." He then pointed the camera towards the sky, zooming to the max. Soon, Reflector was able to see a large jet approaching and took a picture. When it came out, Thundercracker looked at it as Reflector transformed and separated back into three robots. He handed the picture to Megatron, asking, "This look familiar?"

Megatron took the picture, looked at it and frowned. Starscream then got a look as his jaw dropped and his optics widened. "It can't be!" he cried.

Megatron turned to Starscream, asking, "What's that, Starscream?"

"It. . .it. . ." stuttered Starscream. Before he could finish, the large jet's engines caught the Decepticons' attention. The jet proceeded to drop down, causing the Decepticons to dive to the side.

Once the jet landed, the Decepticons stood up, Megatron asking, "Who dares defy the mighty Megatron?"

A door to the jet opened. Zack, Cody, Bailey, Maya, the workers, as well as the Decepticons looked on as they saw a large silhouette standing in the doorway, hidden in the shadows. The silhouette spoke up, saying in a deep voice, "I dare, Megatron." The speaker then stepped out. The Decepticons watched in horror as the figure stepped into view, realization dawning on them.

"Optimus Prime?" asked Megatron in disbelief. "That's impossible!" Prime just stood there and frowned as a compartment opened up in his back. He reached over his shoulder and pulled out a rifle, pointing it at the Decepticons, namely Megatron.

"That's the robot I examined!" whispered Cody.

"And he's not alone either," came another voice. Ironhide, the previous speaker, was the first to step out and stand by Prime. Soon, all of the Autobots were standing before the Decepticons. Finally, the jet transformed, revealing himself to be Jetfire.

Both sides stared each other down. It was showdown time!

**To Be Continued**

Author's Note: For those who might be wondering, Prime's trailer in this story is based on his Generation 2 toy. Look for pictures of the Generation 2 Optimus Prime toy to see what it looks like.


	3. Firefight in the Atlantic

**Chapter 3: Firefight in the Atlantic**

"It. . .it's the Autobots!" cried Rumble in horror.

"I told you we should have destroyed them when we had the chance!" cried Starscream.

"Decepticons, stand your ground!" ordered Megatron. "Transform! Transform!" He then transformed to gun mode, landing in Starscream's hands. Starscream fired, but the Autobots were able to avoid the shot.

"Autobots, charge!" cried Optimus Prime as he led his troops into battle. The workers ran off, looking for somewhere to hide. The Decepticons scrambled as the Autobots charged forward, firing away. Starscream fired the Megatron gun again, but Prime avoided the shot and fired, disarming Starscream.

However, Megatron transformed back to robot mode and landed on his feet. Prime dropped his gun and he and Megatron locked hands, trying to overpower each other. "Don't interfere, Prime!" demanded Megatron.

"I will, and I must!" said Optimus defiantly.

"I made a mistake by leaving you and the Autobots to rust," said Megatron. "But I shall correct that mistake by destroying you now!"

"Not today, not any day, Megatron!" yelled Prime as he and Megatron continued their test of strength.

Optimus, however, soon fell to his knees, hands still locked with Megatron's. Megatron grinned and asked, "Getting weaker, Optimus?"

"I'm just warming up," said Optimus as he forced his way back to his feet. When he was standing again, he hit Megatron in the mid-section with his knee, breaking Megatron's grasp. He then grabbed Megatron by the arm and threw him to the ground. However, Megatron lashed out with a kick, knocking Prime back. Megatron then stood up and charged, only to be caught with a right to the jaw. Megatron yelled and responded with a right hand of his own as the two leaders traded blows.

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya watched the battle while still trapped inside the force field. For some reason, however, Zack seemed to be enjoying this more than the others. "This is awesome!"

"Yeah, until we get ourselves killed!" said Maya. "We're still trapped in here!"

"Not for long," came a voice. The four of them turned to see Rewind and Eject land nearby. Eject, the previous speaker, said, "Get down." Though surprised to see the two small robots coming to their rescue, they did as they were told. Rewind and Eject fired, destroying the force field and freeing them.

As the teens stood up, Rewind asked, "Are you alright?" Not knowing what else to say, they simply nodded. Rewind then said, "Good. Now find a place to hide."

"While we kick some tailgate!" finished Eject as he and Rewind went to join their companions in battle.

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya ran, searching desperately for a place to hide. When they did, they just watched the battle. As it intensified, Bailey exclaimed, "It's a war zone here! There's nowhere safe!"

Blitzwing transformed into a tank and fired at Springer, who was charging in his car mode. However, Springer avoided the shots, asking, "Losing your touch, Blitzwing?"

As both transformed to robot mode, Blitzwing said, "You will wish you hadn't said that, Autobot." Springer continued to charge, drawing a sword. A sword appeared in Blitzwing's own right hand and the two clashed. After several clashes, Blitzwing managed to kick Springer down. He then drew his gun and fired, but Springer was able to roll to the side and avoid the shot. He got to his feet and charged, avoiding some of Blitzwing's shots and deflecting more with his sword. One deflected shot knocked Blitzwing's gun out of his left hand, momentarily distracting him. This was all the time Springer needed to jump into the air. When he came down, he cut off Blitzwing's right arm. Blitzwing dropped to his knees, screaming in pain. Springer then put him out of his misery by knocking him out with one punch, sword still in hand.

As he and one group of Autobots fired away, Ironhide cried out, "Blast them, guys! Turn them to scrap!"

"I'll mow you down!" cried Cliffjumper.

"Now this is what I call a battle!" added Brawn.

"This is what I call senseless violence," protested Mirage.

"You want to try telling them that, Mirage?" asked Prowl.

"We tell them nothing!" said Slag. "We fight!"

"Me Grimlock love stupid enemies. Transform and destroy!" ordered Grimlock. Grimlock and his unit then transformed into robotic dinosaurs. Grimlock fought off multiple Decepticons with sheer brute force. Slag then charged forward and ran through several more.

Rumble and Frenzy activated their pile driver arms as Rumble asked, "What's say we shake things up a little?" They then slammed their pile drivers into the ground.

However, Sludge roared and stomped, taking Rumble and Frenzy off their feet. He said, "Me Sludge shake you up!" He then breathed fire from his mouth and Snarl joined in by firing energy from his tail.

Skywarp and Thundercracker transformed and took to the air. "Heat-seeking missiles, seek heat!" cried Skywarp as he fired said missiles. However, Swoop fired his own missiles, causing them to destroy each other. He then began flapping his wings furiously, creating winds powerful enough to cause Thundercracker and Skywarp to lose control and fall.

As he and Skywarp began descending, Thundercracker cried, "Mayday! Mayday!" The other Decepticons scrambled as the two jets crashed.

"This will stop them," said Astrotrain as he transformed to train mode. He then proceeded to run over Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, and Snarl. He then transformed to space shuttle mode, took off, and fired, taking down Swoop. Grimlock and his team then transformed back to robot mode and frowned. They each began firing on Astrotrain. Astrotrain, however, avoided the shots, transformed back to robot mode, and fired, taking them down. Apparently, they were more vulnerable in robot mode than dinosaur mode.

"Watch your back, Astrotrain!" cried Brawn as he charged forward. Astrotrain turned and fired, but Brawn jumped over the shots and landed a dropkick to his chest, causing him to stumble.

Astrotrain pointed his gun, only to find no one there. "Where'd he go?"

"Don't you worry about him," said a voice from behind. Astrotrain turned to see Hound. "You'd best worry about yourself. And me." He then fired, taking Astrotrain down.

Brawn smiled as he seemingly appeared out of thin air. Brawn chuckled and said, "Holograms are an Autobot's best friend."

"And a Decepticon's worst enemy," added Hound before he and Brawn shared a laugh. Hound then went over to Grimlock and his bunch, asking, "Are you five okay?"

"Me Swoop okay," answered Swoop.

"Why you ask?" asked Snarl. "You think we weak?"

"It take more than Astrotrain to stop us," said Grimlock. "Now, let us go." They then went to help the other Autobots.

Starscream and Jetfire were exchanging blows. Starscream smiled and said, "Hello, Jetfire, old friend. It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough, Starscream," said Jetfire with a frown. They traded blows and gunfire. Though Jetfire was much bigger and stronger than Starscream, Starscream was better-suited and better-trained for combat, so the two were evenly matched.

Reflector fired away at Arcee in her car mode, but the shots bounced harmlessly off of her. "Out of my way, boys!" yelled Arcee as she ran over all three robots that composed Reflector. "I want Nightracer!"

"You'll have to get through us first!" said Runabout.

"We're the hardest-charging dudes in the entire Decepticon army!" added Runamuck as he and Runabout began firing away at the charging Arcee.

Having heard Runabout and Runamuck's banter even as she fired away at other Autobots, Nightracer grumbled to herself, "And the most obnoxious."

Arcee transformed to robot mode and ran towards Runabout and Runamuck, avoiding gunfire as she did so. "Hold still, girly!" cried Runabout.

"Not a chance!" said Arcee as she jumped into the air. She landed two kicks to Runabout, taking him down. Runamuck tried to shoot her, but Arcee cart-wheeled out of the way before hitting him with a jumping spin-kick. Ravage, however, tackled her.

As Arcee struggled to fight off Ravage, Nightracer ran over to the fallen Runabout and Runamuck, asking, "Do I have to do everything for you two?"

As Nightracer pointed her gun, Hot Rod noticed the situation and transformed to car mode, charging the female Decepticon. Arcee finally fought off Ravage. However, before Nightracer could fire at her, Hot Rod transformed back to robot mode and kicked her gun arm, causing her blast to go astray. Hot Rod then punched Nightracer, picked her up over his head and tossed her away. "Sorry to do that to a femme, but you left me no choice," said Hot Rod. He then turned to Arcee and gave her the thumbs-up. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, Arcee, Hot Rod's got your back."

Arcee drew two guns from holsters on her legs and frowned, saying, "You don't have my back, Hot Rod. You don't have a clue." She then began firing away at other Decepticons.

As he fired his tailpipe guns, Hot Rod returned the frown and said, "Well, excuse me for trying to help."

Arcee and Hot Rod stopped firing as a still-frowning Arcee got in Hot Rod's face, saying, "You can help by not sticking your nose in my business!"

Springer then ran forward, saying, "Quit your bickering, you two, and hop on!" He transformed into a helicopter, saying, "We're going to show those Cons who's boss!" Arcee holstered one of her guns as Hot Rod drew his regular gun. Springer took off and the three of them fired away, taking down Decepticons in the air as well as on the ground.

However, Ramjet put a stop to that as he transformed to jet mode and took off, ramming into Springer and causing both to crash. Hot Rod and Arcee, however, were able to jump off and land on the ground unharmed. "Springer!" they both cried out at the same time, concern etched on their faces.

However, three more Decepticon jets began firing away at Hot Rod and Arcee, forcing them to scramble. These were Slugslinger, Triggerhappy, and Misfire. Slugslinger said, "You'd best worry about yourselves than your comrade, Autobots!"

"Compassion always was an Autobot's weakness," said Misfire as he and his comrades transformed and landed, firing away in their robot modes.

"And soon, you'll be ready for the scrap yard!" said Triggerhappy almost maniacally. As his name indicated, he was certainly more reckless and trigger-happy than the others, firing away without aiming.

"Whoa!" cried Bumblebee as he dove to the side to avoid Triggerhappy's shots. "That was close!"

"This will protect us," said Trailbreaker as he activated a force field.

"A force field," said Triggerhappy as he and his two teammates stopped firing.

"They can't keep it up forever," said Misfire. "Just keep firing!"

"No," said Slugslinger. "Save your ammo. There are plenty of other Autobots for us."

"You got that right," said a voice from behind. The three jets turned to see Jazz, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe charging towards them. Sunstreaker spoke up again, saying, "Like us, for instance."

"And you're going down hard!" declared Sideswipe. He and Sunstreaker then proceeded to knock down both Triggerhappy and Misfire.

Slugslinger tried to shoot Jazz, but Jazz rolled out of the way and fired, knocking Slugslinger's gun out of his hands. Jazz then smiled and said, "Rewind, Eject, do your thing!" Slugslinger turned, only to be gunned down by Rewind and Eject.

However, Ravage pounced on both Rewind and Eject, forcing Jazz to try and bail them out. "Stay out of this, Decepti-Kitty!" He tried to shoot Ravage, but he was too fast. He soon was forced to worry about himself, as he heard cawing. He turned to see Laserbeak and Buzzsaw firing away as they swooped down. Jazz was able to avoid the shots with some fancy footwork before firing back.

While all of this was going on, Trailbreaker shut off his force field as Windcharger said, "And while they're doing that, let's take care of these two." He, Bumblebee, and Trailbreaker turned to see Thrust and Dirge attempting an air attack. The three Autobots fired at the two Decepticon jets, but missed. Thrust and Dirge fired missiles, taking them down.

"Oh, no you don't!" declared Ratchet as he, Wheeljack, and Inferno approached.

"Take this!" cried Wheeljack as he fired the laser on his shoulder, Ratchet fired two guns, and Inferno fired the gun in place of his right hand as well as a gun in his left hand, finally taking Thrust and Dirge down.

Inferno laughed and said, "That'll put their fire out."

Blaster and Soundwave, the two communications officers, squared off. Blaster said, "I've been waiting a long time for this, you sorry excuse for a sound system."

"All talk, no shock," said Soundwave as he and Blaster used sonic weapons built into their bodies. Soundwave won that duel, sending Blaster flying. Blaster charged and tried to fight Soundwave head-to-head, but Soundwave was too strong.

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya watched the battle. Optimus Prime and Megatron landed close to them, Prime having tackled Megatron. "Give it up, Megatron!"

"Never!" cried Megatron. "You and every last Autobot will be destroyed!" He then kicked Optimus off.

As both leaders got to their feet, Optimus pointed to Megatron, saying, "You destroy everything you touch, Megatron!"

"That's because everything I touch is food for my hunger," responded Megatron. "My hunger for POWER!" He then fired his fusion cannon, but Prime dodged the shot and charged forward, knocking down Megatron again.

"Wow," said Zack. "Those two REALLY don't like each other!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," said Cody sarcastically.

Optimus pinned Megatron's shoulders down, saying, "Call if off, Megatron! Call it off!"

"Never!" yelled Megatron defiantly. A smaller gun barrel clicked to his side and he proceeded to blast his foe in the midsection at point-blank range. As Optimus went down, Megatron took to the air, ordering, "Decepticons, gather the Energon cubes! We go!" The battle itself had pretty much been a stalemate, but the Decepticons were still able to escape with the cubes. Optimus stood and looked up at Megatron with a frown as Megatron said, "A little going-away present for you, Optimus Prime. Have a nice swim!" He pointed his fusion cannon and fired, blasting a hole in the middle of the oil rig.

The unsteady foundation began to crack. Once it did, the Autobots and the humans onboard began to fall into the water. Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya screamed as they fell in, holding onto a derrick for dear life. Soon, they found themselves trapped inside the derrick after it fell in along with them. Megatron then fired at an oil container, causing it to explode. As flames shot skyward, Megatron was right in the middle of them, laughing. Oil had spilled onto the remainder of the rig as well as into the water and soon caught fire. The Decepticons flew away with the Energon cubes.

As the fire began to spread, Prime cried out, "Prowl, Jetfire, find some level ground! We need to get these humans out of here!"

The Autobots proceeded to help the workers try to escape. Even though many of them didn't trust the Autobots, most of them were smart enough to realize this was their only chance to escape with their lives. Jetfire and Prowl were able to find a level surface big enough for Jetfire to transform onto. Prime soon joined them. When the workers were placed near Jetfire, Prime said, "Get in. We'll take care of things here."

One worker frowned at Optimus, asking, "Why should we trust you? How do we know you're not with those other robots?"

Prowl knelt down with a frown on his face and said, "Hey, we're trying to help you! Now, you can either take your chances with us, or you can stay here and die. The choice is yours."

Another worker then asked, "If you metallic freaks care so much, why haven't you done anything to help those kids?" He was pointing at the four trapped teenagers.

Optimus and Prowl turned to see Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya trapped in the fallen derrick. Maya cried out, "Somebody, help us! We're trapped!"

"Oh, no," said Bailey. "The fire's getting closer!"

Prime's optics narrowed as he said, "I'll handle this. Prowl, see to it that the rest of these humans are safely evacuated."

"But, Prime. . ." began Prowl.

"That's an order!" cried Optimus as he dove into the water.

The workers watched as Optimus Prime made his way over to the four trapped youngsters. Nothing more was said as they began boarding Jetfire, who said, "All aboard!" Once all the workers were inside, Jetfire took off.

"Look, someone's coming," said Cody. "I just hope he's one of the good guys."

Optimus Prime reached the four friends, saying, "Hold still!" They did as they were told, allowing the Autobot leader to raise the derrick.

As the foursome swam and got onto Prime's shoulders, the fire suddenly accelerated! Prime's optics widened as the four young humans watched in horror. "We're surrounded!" cried Bailey in fear.

"Hold onto me!" said Optimus. "Keep your heads above water!"

**To Be Continued**


	4. A Journey Through History

**Chapter 4: A Journey Through History**

Jetfire flew over the Atlantic, heading back to shore. The worker that had sent the distress call noticed a ship outside. "Hey, there's the Coast Guard! Could you land here?"

"I don't think that'd be a good idea," said Jetfire. "I doubt they would allow it."

"Then let us contact them," said another worker. "Do you have a radio?"

"Yes," said Jetfire. "Go ahead and use it. They're more likely to trust you than me."

The worker that had sent the distress call went over to the radio and said, "Coast Guard, come in, do you read me?"

"I read you loud and clear," responded a Coast Guard member. "What's going on at the rig?"

"It's been destroyed," said the worker. "Some of us are hurt, but we all made it out alive. We're in a jet right above you."

"A jet?" asked the Coast Guard member in surprise. "How'd you get a jet out there?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," answered the worker. "Request permission to land."

"Permission granted," said the captain of the ship. "Proceed."

Soon, Jetfire landed on the ship, the Coast Guard members wondering what was going on. Once all the workers had exited, Jetfire took off. When he was gone, the captain asked, "What's going on here? Where did that jet come from?"

The worker that had sent the distress signal took out a tape and said, "Take a look at this. This will tell you everything you need to know. I just hope it hasn't been messed up."

The tape was placed in a VCR. Fortunately, it was still intact. And it had captured everything. "Oh, my gosh," said the captain. "We need to get this to Washington, ASAP."

Back at the rig, the Autobots were unable to see Optimus Prime through the fire. "Prime!" cried out Arcee as the fire surrounded her leader and the four humans he was trying to rescue.

"Is he alright, Arcee?" asked Ironhide.

Arcee adjusted her optics, allowing her to see better through the fire and zoom in. "He's fine," she answered as her optics reverted back to their normal state. "But if we don't do something fast, those humans on his shoulders won't be."

As his hands retracted, Ironhide said, "A blast of some super-cool nitrogen should put that fire out."

As Ironhide took a shot at the fire, Inferno said, "I'll give you a hand." He then began spraying foam from the weapon mounted on his shoulder.

"I'll help too," said Wheeljack. He was another one of the few Autobots who could fly, so he took off and put out the fire where Ironhide and Inferno couldn't reach, shooting the same foam out of his retractable hand.

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya watched as the fire was put out. When it was gone, Maya sighed and said, "That's a relief."

"Now, to get you out of here," said Optimus.

"Catch!" cried Jazz as his right hand retracted and was replaced with a grappling hook. He shot it and Prime caught it. Optimus held on as Jazz reeled him and the four youngsters in.

When they got on the level part of the rig, the foursome jumped off of Prime's shoulders. When they got down, they looked up as Optimus stood up. "Thanks," said Zack. "We owe you."

"Think nothing of it," said Prime.

Bailey looked around at the Autobots in amazement. Finally, she asked, "Who. . . what are you?"

"We are autonomous robotic organisms," answered Optimus. "Also known as Autobots. We hail from the distant planet of Cybertron."

"I remember that Megatron guy talking about that," said Maya. "He was talking about plundering our planet's energy and taking it back there."

"Yes," answered Optimus. "We must stop Megatron and his Decepticons before they destroy your world." His blue optics flashed as he spoke with conviction.

"What about the oil?" asked Cody. "If it stays here in the water, it'll pollute it and kill any fish and people who might come here."

"Don't you worry none about that," said Ironhide. "We'll have this place cleaned up in no time flat."

"So let's get started," said Inferno.

"But we'll need something to put the oil in," said Wheeljack.

"The rest of us will take care of that," said Prime. "The three of you get this oil out of the water."

As Ironhide, Inferno, and Wheeljack began sucking the oil out of the water, the rest of the Autobots took the biggest chunks of metal they could find and welded them together. When the makeshift container was finished, the oil was placed inside of it. The water had been cleaned up in a matter of minutes. "Wow," said Bailey in astonishment.

"Just in time, too," said Windcharger as he pointed to the sky. "Jetfire's back to give us a lift." Jetfire approached and landed.

"And not an astrosecond too soon," said Sunstreaker. "That saltwater bleached my body enamel."

The four young peopole looked at him with puzzled looks on their faces. Sideswipe smiled and said, "Excuse my brother. He's kind of vain that way."

"He sounds just like London," said Zack.

"What's a London?" asked Sunstreaker.

"She's a friend of ours," answered Cody. "The two of you would get along just fine. . . that is, once she got past the fact that you're a giant talking robot."

Ratchet then took a whiff and realized something. "Hmm. That's interesting. The two boys' pheromone levels suggest they want to mate with the females."

Zack and Cody just stood there in disbelief. "Okay," said Zack. "That was. . .awkward."

As Bailey giggled, Maya let out a chuckle of her own as she said, "Yeah, like we didn't know that already."

"Alright, Autobots," said Prime. "Let's move out." Soon, everyone, including Cody, Bailey, Zack, and Maya, boarded Jetfire and took off.

Back at the cave, Optimus Prime was in a room with the four human visitors. Standing on a platform, they watched him as he slowly approached. Like Megatron, they noticed by the way he stood, walked, and spoke, that his presence commanded respect and attention. However, unlike Megatron, he didn't induce fear. Instead, he seemed to radiate a quiet authority and because of that, his subordinates were comfortable in his presence.

Finally, Cody was the first to speak up. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves. I'm Cody Martin. This is my twin brother Zack, my girlfriend Bailey Pickett, and Zack's girlfriend Maya Bennett."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Cody," said Prime. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. I assume you all have questions for me?"

"I do. At the oil rig, the Decepticons drained the oil and converted it into Energon cubes," said Cody. "What is Energon anyway?"

"Energon is the fuel and life-blood of all Transformers, both Autobots and Decepticons alike," answered Optimus. "It is also what powers our cities and our industries on Cybertron."

"Hey, Optimus?" asked Bailey. "Could you maybe,. . . you know,. . . tell us more about Cybertron?"

"And how you came to Earth?" asked Maya.

"I will do better than that," said Optimus. He then reached for his chest as he said, "I will show you." He opened up his chest, revealing an object inside with a glowing blue crystal. The crystal glowed brighter and the light washed over the foursome as Prime said, "Prepare to take a journey through history."

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya looked around in astonishment as they appeared to be floating in space. Soon, they came across what appeared to be a large metallic sphere. "Is that. . . Cybertron?" asked Maya, almost in a trance-like state.

"Yes," answered Prime. They couldn't see him, but they could hear his voice. "This is where we came from. Our origins are unknown, even to us. What is known, however, is that long ago, two classifications of robots were manufactured on Cybertron: Consumer goods and military hardware." As Prime said this, the four friends now found themselves on the planet's surface, seeing two robots standing before them. One had a variation of the Autobot symbol, the other had a variation of the Decepticon symbol. "These would later become known as the Autobots and the Decepticons."

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya watched in amazement as various activities and events played themselves out before them. Prime's voice explained, "For a time, we lived in harmony. But unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Whereas the Autobots sought a peaceful existence, the Decepticons wanted conquest." The youngsters then saw a robot hidden in the shadows as he ordered, pointed, and fired at robots, killing many and injuring others. "But there was one in particular who forcibly rose to leadership of the Decepticons through a combination of brute strength, military cunning, ruthlessness, and terror. He was known as Megatron." Megatron's now-familiar face was shown to the four humans as they watched him arousing his troops and laughing as Autobots were slaughtered and parts of Cybertron were laid to waste.

"Slowly but surely, Megatron built his army," continued Optimus. "And when he was ready, he made his move." Megatron and his troops forced their way into a building. Several robots in a circular room watched with widened optics as Megatron approached with his troops and attacked. "He destroyed the ruling council of Cybertron, the Council of the Primes, including the head of the council, Sentinel Prime. And so began the war. A war that ravaged our planet until it was consumed by death. All who defied Megatron perished. Every Autobot who served or had served on the council was hunted down and destroyed. All but one: Alpha Trion, the oldest and wisest among Cybertronians and a former head of the council in his own right." The foursome watched as Alpha Trion went to the now-destroyed chamber of the council, searching for Sentinel Prime. He found Sentinel Prime, who opened his chest, revealing the object that Optimus had in his own chest. He passed it to Alpha Trion and died.

Recognizing the object, Cody said, "Hey, that's what you have in your chest!"

"What is that?" asked Zack.

"That is the Matrix of Leadership," answered Optimus. "At that point in time, whoever possessed the Matrix was head of the council. It isn't alive or intelligent in any way we measure it, but the bearer doesn't choose the Matrix, the Matrix chooses them. And with the council destroyed, Alpha Trion realized that the Matrix would now have to be entrusted with someone who could lead the entire Autobot population. But with Megatron and his army swiftly taking control, the Autobots were powerless to stop them. So Alpha Trion led many of them underground where they could find shelter. It would also buy Alpha Trion the time he needed to help build the Autobots into a force strong enough to combat the threat that the Decepticons now brought. However, some didn't follow him. They chose to remain on the surface. One of them was Sentinel Prime's son. Like his father, he was a gentle robot, a young, perhaps naïve, archivist named Orion Pax. One fateful day, Megatron broke into the archival hall, demanding information from Orion. He wanted to know where the Autobots were hiding. When Orion was unable to answer, Megatron blasted him and left him for dead. Fortunately for Orion, some of his friends found him and took him to Alpha Trion."

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya watched as Orion Pax was taken to Alpha Trion. Alpha Trion's chest opened up, the light of the Matrix shining brightly on Orion. Optimus then continued, saying, "Guided by the Matrix, Alpha Trion was able to save Orion, rebuilding him into a new type of Autobot. Thus, Orion Pax became. . ."

The four friends' jaws' dropped as the rebuilt Orion Pax stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself. "Optimus Prime!" cried the four of them in unison.

"Yes," continued Optimus. "I didn't become leader right away, though. At first, I was unsure of myself, questioning my purpose, questioning my faith, and wondering if Cybertron was even worth saving. But I endured all the trials and tribulations, rising through the ranks until I earned the title of Commander. And when the time was right, the Matrix was passed on to me."

The four of them watched as Optimus Prime aroused his troops and led them into many battles. "With the Autobots finally able to fight back, Megatron soon realized that his conquest was going to be met with much opposition." The youngsters continued to watch as several battles flashed before their eyes. "But centuries of war drained our planet's once-rich sources of energy. And both sides soon realized that unless a new supply of energy was found, nobody was going to win the war. Having anticipated that we may be forced to leave Cybertron someday, I had ordered a spacecraft to be constructed, dubbed the Ark. I selected a team of warriors to accompany me on the journey and we left Cybertron, searching for the energy we would need to revitalize our home world. However, the Decepticons followed."

The foursome were now inside the Ark as the Decepticons broke in. "After a brief battle, we lost control of the Ark, crash-landing here on Earth." The four friends seemed to drift through the Ark. They watched as the Ark went down, crashing into a mountain. Once the Ark crashed, they were brought back to reality. The light from the Matrix' crystal died down and Prime closed his chest, his story finished.

Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya stood there speechless for several moments before the silence was finally broken. "This is awesome," said Zack with a smile. "Robots from another planet."

"Robots with free will," added Bailey.

"Robots with emotions," said Maya.

"Robots. . . who can die," finished Cody.

"How long have you been on Earth?" asked Zack. "When the Decepticons were reactivated, one of them asked if Cybertron even existed anymore."

"I, too, worry if Cybertron still exists," admitted Optimus Prime. "As for how long we've been here, well, from what we've been able to figure out, we have laid dormant here on your world for approximately five thousand years of your time." All four humans' jaws dropped.

Hours later, at the Decepticons' temporary base, Megatron was pondering his next move. He said, "This is taking too long. Time is no longer on our side. I've had the Constructicons move the starship's construction elsewhere. Laserbeak and Buzzsaw cannot find energy on their own fast enough for my liking. And somehow, the Autobots are still alive to block us."

"They wouldn't be if you had allowed us to destroy them while they were still in stasis, Megatron," said Starscream. "It's foolish decisions like that that will cost us this war."

Megatron frowned at Starscream, saying, "You test my patience, Starscream. As for the Autobots, we will. . ." He trailed off, realization dawning on him.

"We will what, Megatron?" asked Starscream, a smile coming across his face. "Are you out of brilliant plans?"

"Far from it, Starscream," answered Megatron as a smile formed on his own face. "We may not be able to find the energy we need fast enough on our own, but perhaps the Autobots have found it for us." He then turned to Soundwave, saying, "Soundwave, recall Laserbeak and Buzzsaw. And send Ratbat to infiltrate Autobot headquarters. Have him gather all the information the Autobots have on this planet's resources."

"As you command, Megatron," said Soundwave. "Ratbat, transform. Operation: Infiltration." A tape ejected and transformed into a mechanical bat before flying off.

Some lights flashed and beeped on Megatron's chest. He pressed a button on his midsection and asked, "What is it, Scrapper?"

"We've completed the engines for the new starship," was Scrapper's response.

"Building the rest will be easy compared to this," added Scavenger.

"Right, right, right!" agreed Mixmaster. "Piece of cake, cake, cake!"

"So stop talking and keep working," ordered Megatron. "The others will bring you all the materials you need. The rest of us will join you shortly. Megatron out."

Ratbat made his way to the Ark. He made his way to Teletran-1's nearest console and transformed, inserting himself inside when no one was around. He found the information Megatron wanted and began recording it.

While Ratbat was doing his work, the four human guests were talking to the Autobots, trying to get to know them better. Bailey asked Arcee, "So, um. .. Arcee, is it?" Arcee smiled and nodded. "Back on Cybertron, are there any other female Transformers?"

"There are," answered Arcee with a nod. "Most aren't soldiers, though, like Nightracer and myself. Most of them prefer to function as medics, scientists, or technicians. But I chose this path. In fact, whenever a situation gets too hot to handle, more often than not, Prime will call on me. I guess you could say I'm his. . . how do you say it here on Earth. . . 'go-to bot?' I'll also volunteer for even the most dangerous assignments."

Zack had introduced Blaster to the world of heavy metal and hard rock music. Zack yelled over the music, "How do you like our music, Blaster?"

"I love it!" answered Blaster. "When the music's rocking, I'm rolling!"

"But why do you transform into an old boom box and your little buddies transform into cassette tapes?" asked Zack. "Why not a CD player and CD's? Or an i-Pod and memory cards?"

"Well, apparently, when Teletran repaired us, those were the only forms we were compatible with," answered Blaster. "So unless we wanted to stay dormant for another five thousand years, we were forced to, as I believe you put it, go retro."

Eject was watching sports on another one of Teletran's screens. He was watching a Red Sox game, saying, "Wow! We never had sports like this back on Cybertron! I might have to incorporate some of this into my fighting style!"

Cody was talking to Grimlock and his bunch. "Optimus Prime says you guys are the strongest Autobots of the group. Is that true?"

"Yes," answered Grimlock. "Me Grimlock strongest Autobot. Me Grimlock should lead, not Optimus Prime!"

"You don't like Optimus Prime?" asked Cody in confusion.

"Optimus Prime good leader," said Sludge. "But Grimlock better leader."

"Optimus Prime strong," said Slag. "But Grimlock stronger."

Cody decided to try and steer the conversation from dangerous waters. "But you are Autobots, right? Considering what you transform into, Dinobots is more like it."

"Dinobots?" asked Snarl. "What you mean by that?"

"You transform into dinosaurs, right?" asked Cody. "I mean, it fits, doesn't it?"

"Dinobots," said Swoop as he thought about it. "Me Swoop like!"

"Yes," said Grimlock with a nod. "That be name of unit from now on: Dinobots!"

Cody then asked, "Why don't you like Optimus Prime?"

"Optimus Prime make poor decisions," said Grimlock. "He fight for the weak. Among the winners, there is no room for the weak."

"Hey, you watch your mouth, mister!" said Cody as he frowned and pointed at Grimlock. "The weak outnumber the strong! All my life, people have called me weak and worthless, including my own brother, but that doesn't justify your attitude! He may not admit it to my face, but I know that Zack would gladly lay down his life for me, and I for him! And judging from what Optimus Prime told us, he would do the same for you! And if you can't appreciate that, I pity you! Besides, if there was no weakness in the Universe, what would be the point of being strong?" This seemed to surprise and confuse the Dinobots. Cody then turned to join his friends.

Maya was talking to some of the other Autobots. She asked, "Why do you transform into cars and such?"

"Disguise," answered Trailbreaker. "Besides, it sure beats walking, especially on long trips."

Maya smiled and said, "You've got a point there. So, could I see you transform again?"

"Sure," said Hound. He then proceeded to transform into his Army Jeep mode.

Maya shook her head and said, "Incredible."

"If you think that's incredible, check this out," said Hound. A man seemed to appear in his driver's seat.

Seeing the driver, Maya reached for him out of curiosity. . . only to have her hand go right through him! "What the?" asked Maya in surprise.

"It's a hologram," said Hound. "They can even come in handy in battle."

"But I've never seen a hologram so lifelike," said Bailey in fascination as she joined Maya. "What other tricks can you do?"

Mirage smiled and said, "Try this one, Bailey: Now you see me. . . now you don't!" Mirage had seemingly disappeared!

Zack and Cody had seen this as they approached. Cody smiled and said, "So that's why you're called Mirage!"

"Some of us have more than one alternate mode, however," said Springer. "See?" He demonstrated by transforming into a car, then a helicopter, then back to robot mode. "I'm what's called a triple-changer," Springer explained. "If traffic's backed up, I can always take to the air. Double the convenience."

"Yeah, until you get you shot out of the sky," said Hot Rod before laughing.

"Hey, you watch your mouth, Hot Rod!" said a fuming Arcee as she got in his face. "You're just jealous because he's twice the bot you are!"

"What's jealousy got to do with any of this?" asked Hot Rod defensively. "It was a joke!"

"Some joke," huffed Arcee as she put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, calm down, you two," said Springer as he tried to play peacemaker.

The four friends watched the. . .interaction between Hot Rod, Springer, and Arcee. Finally, Zack said, "That's an interesting love triangle if ever there was one."

While all of this was going on, the Decepticons were making multiple strikes, stealing materials for their new starship. Nightracer led Runabout and Runamuck (as a group, they were dubbed the Battlechargers) on one strike, causing massive property damage in vehicle form. They then transformed to their robot modes and fired, causing more property damage and stealing whatever materials they saw fit. Some people were able to escape with their lives, others, however, weren't so lucky. Slugslinger, Misfire, and Triggerhappy attacked elsewhere, doing much the same, as did Thrust, Dirge, and Ramjet.

Bumblebee was walking through the Ark when he saw one of the computer screens flashing. He scratched his head and asked, "What's going on here? I thought this console had been turned off?" He looked over the computer before being caught by surprise as Ratbat ejected and began firing on him. "Whoa!" cried Bumblebee as he dove to avoid the gunfire. He scrambled and made it to an alarm.

This surprised the Autobots. The four humans heard it too and ran to the source of the alarm. They saw Ratbat fire on Bumblebee again before seeing the approaching Autobots. "What the feathers is that?" asked Bailey.

"That's Ratbat," answered Cliffjumper. "He's one of Soundwave's deployers!"

"Get him!" cried Brawn as he and the other tried to shoot him. But Ratbat screeched and began making his way out of the cave.

Blaster cried out, "Steeljaw, transform! Bring that bat back!" A tape flew out of his chest, taking on the form of a small lion. Steeljaw roared as he chased and fired on Ratbat. Ratbat, however, escaped.

Prime and some of the other Autobots approached, Prowl asking, "What happened?"

"Ratbat happened," answered Trailbreaker.

"He got into Teletran and took some information," continued Bumblebee. "There's no telling how much he knows now."

"Steeljaw will never catch him," said Jazz.

"But how did that thing get in here?" asked Maya. "Don't you have radar or alarms?"

"We do," answered Ratchet. "Unfortunately, Blaster and Soundwave's deployers can't be detected by even our most advanced sensors."

"We'll need to seal up the entrance to this cave," said Optimus. "The Decepticons know we're here, and we know where they are, but they can always move. I want a few of you to start sealing the cave. Wheeljack, I want you to explore this cave and see if there's another way we can exit to get from here to the road."

At the White House in Washington, D. C., the President was sitting in his office, watching the tapes from the military base and the oil rig. "Unbelievable," said the President. "They destroyed that base like it was nothing. Our weapons were totally ineffective."

"There must be some way to keep this under wraps," said one of his assistants.

"If there is, I'd sure love to hear it," said the President. "Besides, too many people have already seen them. We've gotten reports of more strikes from these robots in different countries around the world, both allies and otherwise. I've already spoken to the other world leaders and they seem to agree that there's no way we can cover this up. They're all planning to broadcast this to their people. I'm afraid we'll be forced to do the same."

At the Tipton Hotel, Carey was sitting in the lobby, worried for her kids and their girlfriends. She already had the police on it, but Carey wasn't sure that would be enough. She had hardly been able to concentrate on her rehearsal for her performance later that night, and she just couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen. And that somehow, Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya were all involved.

Suddenly, London ran in, saying, "Carey, the President's about to make an address! I think it's about those big robots we saw!" Carey's eyes widened as she went with London to see the news.

"So, I guess all we can do now is wait for the Decepticons to make their next move, huh?" asked Cody.

"What do you mean 'we?'" asked Ironhide. "This is our fight. We don't want to put the four of you in danger."

"You don't understand, Ironhide!" said Zack. "It's my fault all of this is happening in the first place!" Now it was Cody's turn to look at Zack in disbelief. Since when did Zack ever admit when he was wrong, he wondered.

"What do you mean?" asked Prowl.

"What I mean is, if I hadn't found this cave and convinced my friends to come in here with me, then none of this would be happening!" explained Zack. "If I had just listened to them, everything would be fine. Believe me, I never would have come in here if I'd known it was going to start a war."

"Don't blame yourself, Zack," said Optimus. "It was only a matter of time before somebody found us. If you hadn't, somebody else would have."

"Somebody better could have found you guys," said Bailey.

"Perhaps, Bailey," agreed Optimus. "But judging from what little we know about your kind, somebody worse could have discovered us as well."

Ratchet then ran in, saying, "Optimus, Teletran-1 just picked up a transmission. Someone called the 'President' is making some sort of speech about us!"

The Autobots and their new human friends looked at each other before going to join Ratchet. It was a news report concerning the appearance of the Transformers. Maya said in a whisper, "Oh my gosh. You're all over the news." Video clips from the attacks on the military base as well as the oil rig were shown, along with amateur videos sent in by witnesses.

Back in Boston, London, Carey, Esteban Ramirez, Arwin Hawkhauser, as well as various other employees and customers were watching everything at the Tipton. Carey said, "If I hadn't seen those things with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it."

"But what do they want?" asked Esteban. "Why are they here?"

"Maybe the President knows," said Arwin.

Soon, it was time for the President to speak.

**To Be Continued**


	5. Devastating the Dam

Author's Note: Hey, ya'll! Sorry I haven't updated this story for a while, but I'm back! Right now, I've got so many story ideas running through my head! But for now, I'll try and concentrate on this one as best I can. Oh, and I've also revised the first four chapters, the first chapter more so than the rest. Start from the beginning again. Peace out!

**Chapter 5: Devastating the Dam**

"My fellow Americans," began the President. "Over the course of the last twenty-four hours, we have received multiple reports of attacks from large metallic robots. Robots that seem able to randomly change into various vehicles and other devices as well. The videos you have just seen are from witnesses to these attacks. One occurred at an oil rig off the coast, another at one of America's top military bases. These attacks have not been isolated to just America, however. Several other countries throughout the world have reported being attacked by these massive machines. This includes allies and enemies alike. Thus far, all attempts at resistance have proven futile. However, we must show these metallic beasts that they cannot and will not break the spirit and resolve of this nation and this world. We will rise up. We will fight back. And God-willing, we will win or die trying. Thank you. And God bless America."

When the President was finished, the Autobots and their four human friends stood there speechless. Finally, Cody was the first to speak up. "It's out. The whole world knows about your existence."

"Chances are, they probably assume you're all alike," said Maya.

"Why would they think that?" asked Eject, who was understandably confused. "Don't they know we're the good guys? I mean, we're nothing like those Decepti-creeps!"

"Yeah, we know that," said Bailey. "But nobody else does. As much as I hate to say this, most people aren't going to accept you. They're probably terrified."

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with Bailey," admitted Optimus Prime. "This world is not ours. And from what little we know about humanity, they may very well fear us as much as the Decepticons. Nevertheless, we are the only ones who can stop the Decepticons. We must find them and stop them before they do too much damage to this world. So, I will be assigning different Autobots throughout the rest of the day to search for them. I will head to my quarters and decide who will go on patrol first. I will be back shortly."

"I guess we'll head back outside," said Zack. "All our camping gear is still up, so we'll be outside."

"Very well," said Optimus with a nod. "Hot Rod, I want you to keep watch over them for the rest of the day. You will be relieved in one Earth day."

"Aw, come on, chief!" protested Hot Rod. "Guard duty is so boring!"

"At least I won't have to see your face for awhile," added Arcee with a smirk. "Bye." Hot Rod sighed and reluctantly followed Zack, Cody, Bailey, and Maya outside.

Elsewhere, Soundwave was in recorder mode, playing back Ratbat's findings. Megatron sat on a large rock, listening intently. Many of the other Decepticons stood by, listening in as well. Teletran's voice came from the speaker, saying, "The hydro-electric power plant at Bear Swamp Dam has a maximum capacity of 600 megawatts, the largest in the state of Massachusetts."

As Soundwave transformed back to robot mode, Megatron stood up and said, "Excellent, Soundwave. Ratbat has done well. Bear Swamp will be our next target."

"But how can we be sure that it has enough power to make the Energon cubes?" asked Starscream. "Sure, 600 megawatts is enough to make the cubes, but how do we sustain that output?"

Turning to Starscream, Megatron frowned and said, "Your knowledge is only overshadowed by your stupidity, Starscream! We are going to create a tidal wave. One that will send enough power surging through that dam to make all the Energon cubes we need." His optics flashed as he announced, "We attack the dam at sunrise!"

Later that evening, the four youngsters were sitting around their campfire. "This camping trip has been so awesome!" said Zack. "We actually found aliens! How cool is that?"

"Cool, until they tried to kill us," said Cody with a frown. "Now, we're caught right in the middle of their war." Bailey took Cody's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Well, Zack, you were right about one thing," said Maya. "My first camping trip is certainly one I'll never forget." Despite the danger they had found themselves in, Maya couldn't help but smile. Zack returned the smile as he took her hand.

The next morning, the Decepticons arrived at Bear Swamp, landing next to the river at the bottom of the dam. Turning to Soundwave, Megatron said, "You know what to do, Soundwave."

Soundwave nodded and said, "Rumble, eject. Activate pile drivers. Operation: Tidal Wave!" Rumble ejected from Soundwave's chest and walked into the water. Once he got to the floor of the river, he activated his pile drivers and began pounding on the ground. Within moments, a tidal wave began taking shape.

With a sinister smile on his face, Megatron said, "It's working. Nightracer, Reflector, I want you and the Battlechargers to stand guard. The rest of you are with me. Decepticons, to the power plant!" They then flew towards the power plant.

Inside the plant, the workers were going about their business when suddenly, their instruments started going haywire. One worker cried out, "Sir, something's wrong! The needles are all in the red! But how is that possible?"

"I don't know," admitted the boss man. "But it can only mean that the river's rising!" He then got on a nearby intercom and announced, "Attention all workers! Man your emergency stations at once! I repeat. . . "

He got no further as one of the walls was suddenly blasted through! The Decepticons walked in, causing the workers to look up in horror. The Decepticon leader spoke. "I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons! You will do exactly as I tell you, or you will perish!"

Another worker whispered, "It can't be. These are those killer robots that the President was talking about!"

Megatron then turned to one of the Seekers. "Slugslinger, you, Triggerhappy, and Misfire escort these pests out of our way so we can start our work."

"Y. . . yes, Megatron," said an intimidated Slugslinger.

"Alright, fleshlings, move it!" ordered Misfire.

"Faster, you slugs, before I bust a gasket!" added Triggerhappy.

The boss man then spoke up, saying, "You don't understand! We have to get out of here! This place could blow any second!" However, his pleas went ignored as he and his employees were forced to another part of the plant. They remained huddled where they were, too scared to do anything else.

Back in the mountains, after breakfast, Zack, Cody, Bailey, Maya, and Hot Rod saw that the entrance to the cave had been sealed up with another large boulder. "Oh, great," said Hot Rod. "Now how are we supposed to get inside?"

His question was answered when the slab of rock moved automatically. Seeing this, Bailey said, "That answers that question." They all proceeded to go inside, the slab of rock closing behind them. The five of them then noticed that there were now lights lining the path of the cave.

"Wow," said Maya. "As strange as this may sound, this actually looks pretty neat."

"Yeah," said Zack with a smirk. "At least now, poor Cody won't need Blanky to keep him company every time we come in here."

"Hey!" cried Cody in protest.

"'Blanky?'" asked Hot Rod in confusion.

"Don't ask," answered Cody.

The five of them then walked towards Teletran 1, seeing Optimus there with Blaster and Ratchet. "Any luck?" asked Prime.

"Negative," answered Blaster. "The Cons could be anywhere, with no Energon to share. And I still can't get through to Cybertron."

"Our patrol unit should be back shortly," said Ratchet.

"Excuse me?" asked Bailey. The three Autobots turned to see Hot Rod and their human companions standing there. Bailey continued, "If some of you are out on patrol, how are you getting in and out?"

Wheeljack then approached, saying, "Allow me to answer that. I found a pathway that leads out to the road. There's a waterfall at the other end of one of these caverns that leads directly to it. The Dinobots and I have spent all night chiseling rock away so that we'll all have room to get in and out in our vehicle modes. I may have to seal it later as well."

Almost on cue, several Autobots pulled up in their vehicle modes before transforming. Saluting, Sideswipe said, "Patrol Team 3 reporting, sir."

"Any luck, Sideswipe?" asked Optimus.

"Negative," answered Sideswipe as he shook his head. "We searched high and low and found nothing."

"Which is a shame, because I was hoping to bust some heads," said Brawn as he punched one of his hands.

All of a sudden, the alarm sounded, causing every Autobot to gather immediately. Ratchet said, "Looks like you may get your chance, Brawn. There's trouble at some place called Bear Swamp. It's a hydroelectric facility almost 150 miles from here."

Looking at Teletran, Cody said, "I'll say there's trouble. Look at those readings. The power output's ten times normal!"

"And that's bad?" asked Zack in confusion.

"Bad's not the word for it," said Bailey as she and Cody turned to Zack and Maya. "If this keeps up, the whole dam could explode!"

"Oh my gosh," said Maya, barely above a whisper. "We've got to stop them!"

"What do you mean 'we?'" asked Cliffjumper. "No offense, girly, but. . . you're humans."

"Cliffjumper's right," said Ironhide. "You ain't coming with us, no way, no how."

"I'm sorry, Maya, but that's too dangerous," said Optimus. "We can't let you do that."

"Um, hello?" asked Zack. "Remember the President's speech? Everybody's out for your heads. All of your heads. We're your insurance that they won't hurt you."

"And what if you're wrong?" asked Springer with a frown.

"Does it really matter?" asked Cody. "For once, I have to agree with Zack. Either way, can you really afford not to take us?"

Optimus thought about it for a moment before saying, "You've made your point. Autobots, transform!"

Once everyone transformed into their vehicle modes, Bailey grabbed Cody by the arm and dragged him towards Arcee, saying, "Come on, Cody!" Bailey sat in the driver's seat, Cody in the passenger's seat.

When they got in, Cody and Bailey were automatically belted up. Cody looked at his girlfriend and said, "You know people are going to stare at me if they see me riding in a pink car, right?"

Arcee said, "Look, if you'd rather walk. . ."

"No, it's fine," interrupted Cody. "I'll get used to it." Bailey looked at her boyfriend and gave him an apologetic smile.

Maya walked towards Bumblebee, saying, "Sorry, Zack, but Bumblebee's all mine."

"I guess I'll take Ironhide then," said Zack.

"Don't forget about me!" cried Blaster as he transformed to radio mode, landing in Cody's hands.

"Autobots, roll for it!" ordered Optimus. They then rolled towards the exit.

As they approached the waterfall, realization dawned on Cody. "Uh. . . Arcee, could you stop? Arcee? Arcee!" Arcee ignored him and went right through the waterfall, causing Cody and Bailey to wince.

As she and Cody sat in Arcee, now drenched, Bailey cried, "WHAT THE FEATHERS?"

"Oops," said Arcee, realizing what she had done. "I guess I should have put the top up, huh?"

Cody then sighed in relief, saying, "Well, at least I didn't get zapped. Good thing you're not an Earth radio, Blaster."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Blaster.

"We'll explain later," said Bailey. "Right now, we need to get to Bear Swamp."

"I'm curious, though," said Cody. "How can a robot so large transform into something so small?"

Playing inside of Blaster, Rewind explained, "It's a process called mass displacement. It's actually quite fascinating."

"That would explain how when Megatron transforms to gun mode, other Decepticons are able to hold him," said Bailey with realization.

"Yes," confirmed Rewind. "And I'd be willing to bet that if he wanted to, he could shrink down to where a human could hold him."

The Autobots had been rolling down the road throughout the whole conversation. Optimus ordered, "Maximum overdrive!"

Back at the dam, the power output continued rising. Realizing that it was critical, Thrust gulped and said, "Maybe the human was right. I think this place is going to blow!"

Not even looking at the worried Thrust, Megatron smiled and said, "Perfect. The electrical output is at its peak. Exactly where I want it. Starscream, activate the null ray." Starscream then fired his null ray at the generators, causing them to turn rapidly. Megatron then ordered, "Soundwave, prepare the Energon cubes!" Once more, the transparent cubes came from Soundwave's chest. The other Decepticons caught them and began placing them on the generators. As the cubes were filled to capacity, Megatron said, "Quickly, quickly! Fill those cubes and load them into Astrotrain!" Though one could accuse him of bordering on insanity, Megatron was no fool. He knew that there was a chance that this dam could blow. And if that happened, all their work would be ruined. Astrotrain transformed to space shuttle mode, allowing the Energon cubes to be placed inside of him.

As the Autobots got closer to Bear Swamp, Optimus said, "We're almost there."

Cody then said, "Hey, Optimus, what if there are people still inside the plant?"

"And what about the people in the towns nearby?" asked Bailey. "We need to make sure no one gets hurt."

As he and the Dinobots flew with Jetfire in their robot modes, Grimlock said, "Who care about stupid humans?"

"Hey, innocent lives could be at stake, mister!" cried Maya. "That may not mean anything to you, but it means a lot to us!"

"They're right, Grimlock," said Optimus. "The humans believe us to be the enemy. The last thing we want to do is prove them right. Bumblebee, I want you to take Maya and try to find the heart of the tidal wave."

"Gee, I didn't know the big guy thought that highly of me," said Bumblebee. Maya couldn't help but smile.

"Ironhide, I want you and Zack to see if there's any way to stop the rising river from endangering the towns," continued Optimus.

"Roger," said Ironhide simply.

"Aw man," said Zack. "I'm going to miss all the fun."

"Remind me to discuss your definition of 'fun' sometime," said Ironhide. He and Bumblebee then split from the rest of the group to do their jobs.

As Ironhide and Bumblebee drove away, Optimus said, "The rest of us must stop the Decepticons and save the dam. Forward, Autobots!" They pulled onto a patch of land near the dam.

From outside the plant, the Battlechargers and Reflector were standing guard. Runabout said, "Guard duty is so boring."

"I know what you mean, dude," said Runamuck. "When are we going to see some action?"

Reflector was in camera mode, using his zoom feature. It was then that he saw the Autobots approaching. He said, "Nightracer, Autobots approaching."

Nightracer adjusted her optics and soon saw what Reflector was seeing. She responded, "I see them, Reflector." As her optics reverted back to normal, she spoke into her communicator, "Megatron, acknowledge!"

Megatron watched as his troops continued making and loading Energon cubes. Astrotrain said, "I'm nearly full."

It was then that Megatron received Nightracer's transmission. "Go ahead, Nightracer."

"The Autobots are approaching fast," responded Nightracer. "Request permission to engage."

"Permission granted," said Megatron. "I will call on the Constructicons to assist you. I will send whoever I can from here as well."

Back outside, Nightracer said, "Battlechargers, Reflector, with me!" The Battlechargers then took off as Reflector transformed to his three-robot form and followed.

As the Autobots approached the dam, they noticed the small group of Decepticons approaching. Sunstreaker said, "Oh great, a Decepticon welcoming committee! It's bad enough this dust is ruining my paint job, now these guys have to show up!"

"Hey, look at the bright side," said Hound. "At least we outnumber them. We'll take them easy!"

"Don't be too sure of that, Hound," said Prowl. "Reinforcements will arrive before you know it."

"Hey, Cody, turn me loose!" said Blaster.

"You got it," said Cody as he threw Blaster out as hard as he could. Blaster transformed into robot mode, joining the Dinobots and Jetfire in the air.

As Arcee tightened Cody and Bailey's seatbelts and put the top up, she said, "Hang tight, you two. We're about to be neck-deep in scrap!"

From the air, Nightracer ordered, "Battlechargers, transform and attack!" Nightracer, Runabout, and Runamuck then transformed into their car modes as they landed. The three robots that composed Reflector began firing on the Autobots from the air while the Battlechargers fired weapons mounted on their hoods. Blaster, Jetfire and the Dinobots fired from the air while the rest of the Autobots responded in their vehicle modes with weapons mounted on either their hoods or their roofs. In Optimus' case, two guns appeared on the sides of his trailer. Knowing they were outnumbered, Nightracer commanded, "Battlechargers, scramble!" The Battlechargers then went off in different directions attempting to surround and disorient the Autobots.

"They're too fast!" exclaimed Windcharger. "How are we supposed to keep up with them?"

"Scramble, Autobots!" ordered Optimus. "And stay on the attack!" With that, the Autobots went in different directions, attempting to counterattack.

As the Autobots attempted to overwhelm the Battlechargers and Reflector, six more vehicles joined the fray: The Constructicons. "For our noble master, Megatron!" cried Scrapper. "Constructicons, attack!" He then proceeded to take down Sunstreaker and Sideswipe in his wheel loader form.

As he and his brother transformed, Sunstreaker cried out, "Hey, that's my paint job!" He and Sideswipe fired, only to be knocked over once again by Bonecrusher in his bulldozer mode.

"You'd best be more worried about us," said Bonecrusher before laughing.

Mixmaster fired acid in his cement mixer mode, saying, "Have a taste of acid, Autobots! Yes, yes, yes!"

The acid hit Prowl, causing him to cry out in pain. "Corrosive acid!" yelled Prowl as he transformed to robot form.

Inferno and Cliffjumper transformed as well, Inferno saying, "Hang in there, Prowl, I'll cool you off!" He then sprayed his comrade with foam, stopping the corrosion in his chest area.

"While I give Mixmaster a taste of my glass gas!" cried Cliffjumper as he fired.

Cliffjumper's shot hit Mixmaster in the weapon his acid had come out of, shattering it. Mixmaster cried out in pain as he transformed to robot form, saying, "You'll pay for that Autobot! I swear it, swear it, swear it!"

"Come on, guys!" said Trailbreaker. "Let's get them!" He, Hound, and Hot Rod attempted to charge Scavenger, only to have Trailbreaker get knocked back by Scavenger's shovel.

"I don't think so!" said Scavenger in his track hoe mode.

As he and Hound turned around and charged again, Hot Rod said, "You missed the two of us, Scavenger!" He and Hound fired away, only to have Hook lift up Trailbreaker with his crane and throw him at them, causing them to swerve and flip.

"I didn't miss!" boasted Hook in his construction crane mode.

As the three Autobots transformed, Trailbreaker said, "You haven't beaten us yet, Constructi-bums!" He, Hound, and Hot Rod began firing away. They stopped, however, when they heard the roar of a jet. Blitzwing had arrived and dove as he fired away, taking down the three Autobots. He then transformed to tank mode as he landed and continued firing at other Autobots.

Hook and Scavenger, now in robot form, loaded Hot Rod, Hound, and Trailbreaker into the back of Long Haul, who was in his dump truck mode. "Remove this Autobot debris, Long Haul," said Scavenger.

"Remove?" protested Long Haul. "It's always remove! I thought I was actually going to get to fight for a change!" He then drove off with the three Autobots in tow.

As Arcee continued to fire away, Cody said, "This is insane!" He and Bailey did their best to keep low while the fight was going on.

"We have to keep the Constructicons apart at all costs!" said Arcee.

"Why?" asked Bailey.

"Trust me, you do NOT want to know."

Ironhide was riding along, when Zack said, "Stop, Ironhide. Let me out." Ironhide complied, allowing Zack to exit. Ironhide transformed as Zack ran over to the river and looked at the town in the distance. "We need to find some way to divert this water, or that town's going to get flooded."

Transforming back to his van mode, Ironhide said, "So, stop talking, tighten your shock absorbers, and get in. We're going to make a new river."

Seeing a gun in the open back, Zack's jaw dropped. He then smiled and said, "Sweet!" He got in, being automatically belted up.

"I'll aim, you fire," said Ironhide.

"Gotcha," said Zack with a nod. He fired the gun as Ironhide drove away.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Zack. "I feel like I'm living in a sci-fi movie!" He was clearly excited as he continued firing the gun. They managed to make a deep trench, diverting the water away so that no one would be in danger.

When they were finished, Zack got out, allowing Ironhide to transform back to robot mode. As he admired Zack's handiwork, Ironhide said, "Well, I'll be reprogrammed with a rivet roller. You handled that like a regular Autobot, Zack."

Zack smirked and said, "And to think I was going to miss all the fun."

Back inside the plant, Energon cubes were loaded into Astrotrain. Finally, he said, "That's it. I can't carry any more."

"Then return the cubes to base," said Megatron. He then fired his fusion cannon at another wall, destroying it. "Go!" This allowed Astrotrain to take off. After leaving, he soon came upon a railroad, transformed to train mode, and made his way back to the Decepticon base.

Once Astrotrain was gone, Megatron said, "Keep working."

Meanwhile, Triggerhappy, Slugslinger, and Misfire arrived at the battle scene, firing away in their jet modes. "Finally, some action!" said Triggerhappy enthusiastically as he laughed and fired away recklessly.

"Hey, save some for me!" cried Misfire.

"That's the spirit, comrades!" cried Slugslinger, who was actually doing his best to hide behind his two fellow Decepticons and wasn't firing as aggressively as they were.

"Bad move, you three!" cried Jetfire as he and the Dinobots approached from the air. They fired away, causing the three Decepticon jets to scramble.

"Cons always run," protested Swoop.

"That's cause they weak!" added Grimlock.

As the three robots that composed Reflector fired away at Blaster, they said in unison, "We outnumber you three-to-one, Autobot!"

"You're dead wrong, not for long!" countered Blaster as he opened his chest.

Two tapes flew out, revealing themselves to be Rewind and Eject. Rewind said, "Take this!" Blaster, Rewind, and Eject then fired, each hitting one of the Reflector robots and causing them to fall.

"Yeah!" cried Eject enthusiastically. "Touchdown!"

"Arcee," said Optimus, "take Brawn, Inferno, Prowl, and Mirage and try and get to the power plant! If there are any people inside, get them out! The rest of us will hold them off!" Optimus and some of the others transformed to robot mode and provided cover fire.

"Roger!" acknowledged Arcee. "Let's go, guys!"

"I don't think so!" said Nightracer as she got to Arcee's side and started bumping her. "You wanted me so bad at the oil rig, now you've got me!"

"Hey, watch it!" yelled Bailey.

"Take this!" yelled Arcee. A spike came out of the side of her wheel, piercing Nightracer's side and causing her to flip.

As Arcee and her party sped towards the plant, Nightracer transformed and stood up, saying, "You're not getting away that easily!"

Nightracer pointed her gun, but before she could fire, a voice said, "Oh, yes, she is!" Nightracer was then knocked over by seemingly no one. Speeding away from Nightracer, Mirage became visible as he caught up with his comrades in vehicle form. Nightracer screamed as Arcee had eluded her again.

Long Haul then approached in his vehicle form, saying, "Catch, Autobots!" He threw out Hound, Hot Rod, and Trailbreaker, causing a momentary distraction and even catching some of the Autobots off-guard. Ratchet tended to them while the others kept fighting. Nightracer, Runabout, Runamuck, Blitzwing, Slugslinger, Triggerhappy, and Misfire, were soon taken down, and it was a good thing, too, because the Autobots were about to face even bigger trouble.

The Constructicons got together, Hook saying, "It looks bad, Scrapper. They've brought out the heavy artillery."

"Then it's time we did the same, only heavier," responded Scrapper. "Constructicons, transform, phase one!"

Arcee took the top down, which allowed Cody and Bailey to look back at the battle scene. "What's going on?" asked Cody.

"Scrap!" cried Arcee. She and her party came to a stop and turned around. "I knew we shouldn't have left them!"

"Transform, phase two!" continued Scrapper.

Seeing what was transpiring from a distance, Cody and Bailey's jaws dropped in horror. "They're combining!" exclaimed Bailey.

Indeed, the Constructicons were combining. When it was done, there stood one large robot instead of six. It roared before speaking. "Prepare to meet your doom. Nothing can withstand the might of. . . DEVASTATOR!"

"We have to go back!" cried Arcee.

"Wait, Arcee, remember what Optimus said," said Prowl. "We have to get the people out."

"He's right, Arcee," agreed Inferno. "The people come first."

Arcee considered Prowl and Inferno's words. Reluctantly, she said, "Right." She and her group then continued rolling towards the dam.

"I hope they're worth it," sighed Mirage as he rolled with the others.

Bumblebee approached the river near the dam, allowing Maya to get out before transforming. Maya said, "This looks like the heart of the tidal wave right here, Bumblebee. But what could be causing this?"

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea," said Bumblebee with a frown. "Wait here, Maya." Bumblebee then proceeded to walk into the river. And that's when he found what (or rather, whom) he was looking for. "Rumble." He then fired, hitting the small Decepticon directly in the chest, causing him to cry out as he went down.

Rumble, however, recovered quickly, rubbing his chest. He frowned and said, "Big mistake, Auto-bozo!" He then took one of the guns off of his back and fired, taking down Bumblebee.

Maya waited nervously on the surface. When she saw bubbles on the surface, she asked, "Bumblebee?" However, it wasn't Bumblebee that surfaced. "Rumble!" she cried.

Recognizing the girl standing in front of him, Rumble frowned and said, "Hey! You're one of those flesh creatures that woke us up!" He then smirked and added, "I think Megatron would be pleased if I presented you to him."

"Back off, Rumble!" yelled Maya. She then kicked him in the chest, but to no avail. "Ow!" cried Maya in pain. "Unwise."

"Stupid is more like it," said Rumble as he grabbed Maya by the shirt.

Bumblebee then made his way up and saw Maya in trouble. Scrambling over to Rumble, Bumblebee grabbed him by the shoulder saying, "Let her go, Rumble!" He then turned the surprised Con around and picked him up over his head.

"Hey, put me down!" protested Rumble.

"Whatever you say, Rumble," chuckled Bumblebee. He then threw Rumble back into the river.

As he drifted away, Rumble said, "I'll get you for this!"

As they watched Rumble float away, Maya said, "Thanks, Bumblebee. I owe you one."

Putting a hand on Maya's shoulder, Bumblebee smiled and said, "Don't mention it, Maya."

Maya looked up and noticed that the dam now seemed stable. "That takes care of the tidal wave. And hopefully the dam will still hold up. It's cracked pretty bad." Bumblebee then transformed back into his VW bug mode. As Maya got in, she smiled and said, "Good showing, by the way."

As he drove off, Bumblebee said, "Thanks. Guess I didn't know my own strength." Maya couldn't help but chuckle as Bumblebee said, "Come on, let's get back to the others.

While all of this was going on, Arcee and her party were quickly approaching the plant. Brawn said, "I'll get the door." He then sped ahead and busted through a wall.

Seeing this, Cody said, "I'll say he did."

Upon getting in, Brawn swerved and pulled to a stop, followed closely by his four companions. Fortunately, they were in the area where the workers had been taken. Cody and Bailey got out of Arcee and approached the surprised workers as Cody asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine," said the boss man. "But what are you kids doing here?"

"They're with us," said Arcee as she and her party transformed, surprising the workers even more.

One of the workers asked, "What are you two doing with these monsters?"

"Hey!" cried Bailey. "They're not monsters! They're our friends!"

"That's not important right now," said Cody. "What matters is that you need to get out of here right now. Go!"

With no other alternative, the workers made their way out. When they were gone, Arcee said, "Arcee to Optimus, the workers are safely out of the plant. Shall we rejoin you?"

"Negative," came Prime's response. "Try and keep Megatron at bay. The rest of us will handle Devastator. Go!"

The Decepticons were continuing to produce Energon cubes when suddenly, the plant's instruments returned to normal. "What's going on here?" asked Ramjet as he held a partially-filled cube.

"Something's wrong," said Skywarp.

Turning to Soundwave, Megatron asked, "Soundwave, what has happened?"

"I just received a message from Rumble," answered Soundwave. "He was stopped by the Autobot known as Bumblebee."

"And now the rest of us will stop you!" came Prowl's voice. The Decepticons turned to see five Autobots standing before them, weapons ready. Cody and Bailey were with them.

"Stick it in neutral, Megatron," said Arcee. "Your plan has been foiled."

"Nevertheless, Arcee, I have already produced many Energon cubes," said Megatron. "And without Optimus, the five of you don't stand a chance against me!" He then fired his fusion cannon, causing the Autobots, Cody, and Bailey to scramble. They took cover and the Autobots fired back. The Decepticons did the same. As he fought, Starscream turned and saw one of the partially-filled Energon cubes. He then smiled and slipped away from the fight. He had an idea.

Back outside, the other Autobots were trying to stop Devastator with no success. Swoop, in his pterodactyl form, fired missiles. They made contact, but had little-to-no effect on the giant. Blaster, Rewind, and Eject fired from the air, but their shots just bounced off. Devastator fired beams from his eyes, but Blaster and his two buddies were just barely able to dodge. From the ground, the remaining Autobots fired away, but nothing seemed to faze Devastator. He laughed and said, "Foolish Autobots! Nothing defeats the Devastator! Nothing!"

"Guess again!" cried Springer as he transformed to helicopter mode. He, Jetfire, and Swoop attempted to attack him from the air, firing at his face. However, Devastator blocked the shots with his arm before swatting the three Autobots away like flies. He then drew his gun and fired, causing the Autobots to scatter.

As Ratchet and Wheeljack tended to their fallen comrades, Hound said, "I don't think we can hold out much longer. We need a plan and fast!"

Ironhide and Bumblebee approached the battle scene. Zack and Maya's jaws dropped when they saw what their new friends were up against. "Oh my gosh," said Maya barely above a whisper.

"Oh, no," groaned Bumblebee. "Devastator!"

"How are you supposed to fight that thing?" asked Zack. For once, he was worried.

"Get out quickly, you guys," said Ironhide. "Find a place to hide. We've got to help our fellow Autobots."

Zack and Maya complied. Bumblebee said, "Hide," as he and Ironhide drove off to join the others. Zack and Maya found a hiding spot and continued to watch the battle from afar.

Optimus turned to see what looked like a small ramp in the land. Turning to Windcharger, he said, "Windcharger, transform and sit in front of this ramp." Though he wondered why his leader would make such a request, he transformed and rolled to a stop at the front of the ramp.

Optimus then turned to Hot Rod and asked, "Hot Rod, can you transform?"

Hot Rod transformed and responded, "Does this answer your question?"

"On my command, I want you to get a running start and jump this ramp," explained the Autobot leader. "When he does, Windcharger, I want you to activate your magnetic field. He'll need all the elevation he can get. And when the time is right, Hot Rod, transform and give him all you've got. Try and aim for the face."

"Roger," said Windcharger. "I understand now."

As Hot Rod rolled into position, Optimus said, "But first, we'll need a diversion. Dinobots, transform. Sludge, I want you to shake things up for Devastator."

Once the four remaining Dinobots transformed into their dinosaur modes, Sludge roared and stomped, the slight tremor causing Devastator to stumble, but he managed to stay on his feet.

Once that was done, Optimus continued, "Jazz, I want you to activate your sound and light show."

"I'll give him a hand," said Blaster as he and Jazz transformed into their radio and car forms, respectively.

"Alright, Blaster, let's play number one on the Autobot Hot 100!" said Jazz. The sound and light show, combined with Blaster's sonic waves, disoriented Devastator, causing him to drop his gun, scream, and grab the sides of his head.

Turning to Hot Rod, Optimus ordered, "Now, Hot Rod!"

Without hesitation, Hot Rod rolled towards the ramp as fast as he could. As soon as he jumped, Windcharger activated his magnetic field, sending Hot Rod high into the air. Once he was high enough, Hot Rod transformed and fired his tailpipe guns, his shots hitting Devastator square in the face and causing him to scream in pain.

Seeing that his plan was working, Optimus then ordered, "Dinobots, let him have it!" Snarl got behind Devastator as Grimlock and Slag approached. Grimlock pushed Devastator's left leg, while Slag pushed the right. Grimlock and Slag's combined strength caused Devastator to finally fall over Snarl. Joined by Sludge, they then jumped on Devastator and began to trash him.

"No!" cried Devastator. He then disassembled back into the six individual Constructicons.

"Retreat!" cried Scrapper as he and the Constructicons transformed into their vehicle modes and left.

It was then that Zack and Maya ran up to them. "That was great, you guys!" exclaimed Maya with a smile.

Seeing the other fallen Decepticons, Zack asked, "What about them? Are you going to finish them off?"

"No," answered Optimus. "We are not like them. We kill only as a last resort. Besides, we have more pressing matters." Turning to his two scientists, Prime asked, "Ratchet, Wheeljack, is everyone okay?"

"They should be fine until they can be properly repaired back at headquarters," answered Ratchet.

"At least we all made it out alive," added Wheeljack.

"But our work isn't done yet," said Optimus. "Arcee and the others may still need our help. Autobots, transform. To the power plant!" They then transformed back to their vehicle modes and headed for the plant. This time, Zack and Maya rode in Bumblebee together.

At the plant, the five Autobots continued to fire at the remaining Decepticons. Soon, Optimus and the others arrived, giving the Autobots a big advantage. Seeing this, Dirge said, "We're outnumbered. The others must have failed."

"Dazzling deduction, Dirge," said a frowning Megatron with a touch of sarcasm. "All of you, grab the Energon cubes and retreat back to headquarters."

"We've got them this time!" said Cliffjumper.

"I think you spoke too soon, Cliffjumper," said Cody. "Look!"

All turned to see Starscream standing on a ledge above with a slingshot in one hand and a piece of an Energon cube in the other. "So long, Autobots," said Starscream with a sinister smile. "Here's one Starscream's been saving for you!" He then fired the shard into some of the plant's equipment, causing it to explode!

"Look out!" cried Arcee as she instinctively covered Cody and Bailey. Bumblebee did the same with Zack and Maya.

The explosion had not only thrown the Autobots for a loop, but the remaining Decepticons as well. "YOU FOOL, STARSCREAM!" yelled Megatron. "Help save the Energon cubes! Get them out of here!" This gave Optimus the opportunity to tackle Megatron out of the hole that Astrotrain had left through.

As the Decepticons gathered the Energon cubes and left, Inferno attempted to douse the flames as the other Bots fired on the escaping Cons to no avail. None of them dared get involved in Prime's fight with Megatron.

Outside the plant, Optimus Prime and Megatron were exchanging blows. "You can't win, Optimus!" boasted Megatron.

"You will not prevail, Megatron," said a determined Prime. "Not while Energon still flows through my veins." He then charged his rival, only to be blasted in the chest by Megatron's fusion cannon. The shot caused Optimus to fall into the river below.

"I disagree," said Megatron after seeing Prime hit the water. He then turned to see his troops escaping. Optimus resurfaced just in time to hear Megatron say, "Another day, Prime!" Optimus could only watch as Megatron flew away.

After the Decepticons were gone, Grimlock and Slag flew to the dam in their dinosaur modes. They sealed up the cracks with their flame breath. Soon, the Autobots and their four companions were standing outside the plant. Mirage said, "Maybe we should try and repair our ship and go back to Cybertron. Forget about the Decepticons."

This surprised the four youngsters with them. Bailey cried, "What? No!"

"We can't do that, Mirage," said Optimus. "If Megatron succeeds here on Earth, he'll be impossible to defeat on Cybertron."

"But we're not warriors, Prime," said Hot Rod. "Not like they are."

"We can't ignore the danger, Hot Rod," countered Prime. "We must conquer it."

"Um, guys," said Cody. "Look." All turned to see military-style Jeeps and tanks approaching. It was a group of soldiers, led by Lennox and Epps. Cody, Bailey, Zack, and Maya stood in front of the Autobots, ready to lay down their lives if need be. They all watched as the soldiers came to a stop in front of them.

**To Be Continued**


End file.
